Inside The Fire
by Zetsumei.Sekai
Summary: I'm just a lost soul who has been rendered unwhole. Something that became very precious to me was taken, and I was forsaken. Mother always said, "If you want, you'll find a way." I will. I am Devin, one of eleven, and I am beyond your control. HieixOC
1. Chapter 1: Not a Day Over Nineteen

Inside The Fire

Chapter 01:

"Not a Day Over Nineteen"

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><p>I was at school and sitting in the most annoying of my classes; Algebra. I sighed as I continued to mess around on the computer I used to complete my work. The keyboard clicked as I entered an answer, a message popped up saying I had entered in the wrong number, and I glared at it as I closed the box. Rubbing my left temple I picked my pen back up and tapped it against my notepad, trying to find the mistake I made.<p>

No more than thirty seconds later a professor called out and told us to pack our things and leave if we weren't currently working on an exam. _Perfect timing. _I flipped my book closed and hooked my pen into the spiral ring of my notebook and headed for the back door of the room after shrugging into my heavy coat. Once outside I tucked my things under my arm and fished my keys out from my pocket. The door lock remote was small and fit securely against my palm as I pulled the clip from my pocket and hit the button.

The car door unlocked and I climbed into my Jeep. I haphazardly tossed my things into the passenger seat and closed the door behind me. I slid the key into the ignition and shivered, February had brought plenty of chilly days with it, and today was no exception. As I sat there with the vehicle running to warm up, my phone rang. I stuffed my hand back into my coat pocket and pulled out the silver rectangle.

"Accept," I directed the device and put it to my ear, "Moshi moshi?" I smiled as a feminine voice began to serenade me. The song could have easily been heard by anyone nearby I had been outside the privacy of my car.

When the song was finished I spoke, "Thanks Morgan, birthday wishes are what keep me young and wrinkle-free." The other girl huffed as I chuckled. "You know I was on vacation in Hawaii!"

I smiled, "I know, I know. How have classes been going for you since you got back?" She had returned just the other day from an anniversary vacation with her boyfriend, and since we both went to the same college I had made sure to pick up any paperwork for her and leave it in her mailbox.

"Everything's alright, I got most of my work done last night and this morning, thanks for dropping it all for me and everything." She replied, a sigh was in her voice and I knew she must have been exhausted from the jet-lag and cram work.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I was just heading home myself, math dragged on, as usual. You'll enjoy the lecture, I'm sure." I commented dryly. Morgan had the same class at a later time than I did. "Oh, I forgot, you must be getting ready to head home now, eh?"

"Yeah, I'm actually just waiting for the car to heat up, you know how this old timer likes to be." I patted the steering wheel as I talked about my old Jeep. It had been my fathers, he gave it to me when I had moved out so I would be able to have a car to get to school and work. I smiled fondly, almost missing what my friend had been saying.

"Oh sure, I'll be home then, I don't work tonight anyway." I added, as she asked what my work schedule was. It was always her way of asking if she could drop by.

"Good, I'll stop by around six then, be safe going home." She replied.

I smirked, "Alright, oh, and Morgan? Be sure to give Koiji a peck on the cheek for me, ne?" I cooed to her, coyly. She stuttered and I giggled before hanging up the phone. They had been dating for two years and she still got so embarrassed over my teasing. I shook my head and put my phone back in my pocket before putting the car in reverse to back out of my parking space, before driving off toward home.

The car ride was uneventful and I was signing along to the radio as I drove down the highway. I was so preoccupied that I failed to notice the suspicious silver Honda tailing me from a few car lengths back. I parked in my small stone driveway and locked the car before jogging up the steps of the front porch. I let myself into my little rented house and locked the door behind me before tossing my keys on the small kitchen table and shrugging my coat off and tossing it onto the back of one of my four kitchen chairs.

I shivered and made my way to the hall where the thermostat resided. Halfway to my destination, my doorbell rang. A sigh escaped my mouth as I turned around and trotted back to the door. My dark brown hair swung behind me as I hurried. I unlocked the deadbolt first before moving to the lock on the handle, once it clicked into place, the door was swinging open _fast_. It slammed into my chest with enough force to knock me off my feet and the breath out of my lungs; I toppled onto the floor. It happened so fast that the only thing that registered while I gasped for breath was the ache in my skull. I curled onto my side in the fetal position, desperately trying to relieve the pain that pulsed and shot across my brain.

I didn't even hear the door lock, or the footsteps near me as I was roughly grabbed by my wrist and drug up from the floor. I stumbled, my knees weak and my chest aching. I was being roughly held against another body, puffs of air blowing against my ear as the other person breathed. I tried desperately to focus my vision as I struggled against the person. "I missed you, Devin," the voice made me freeze momentarily before I finally wrenched out of the man's grasp and backed away.

I stood my ground on shaking legs, mussed bangs hung in my eyes, blocking bits of my vision, "What are you doing here, _Sean_?" I spat his name like it was venom on my tongue. I could feel my heart pounding against my skin, adrenaline was rushing through my veins like a freight train, and my thoughts were moving just as fast.

"It is your birthday, Devin. I merely came to wish you well." He smiled at me, showing his straight teeth between parted lips. He backed off of me, holding his hands up innocently.

"I told you to stay away from me," I did my best to muster up some authority in my voice and I clenched my teeth as I moved toward the right room, my back facing the brightened living space, "now get out of my house." I fought for control of my shaking hands and knees.

He advanced on me like a lion ready to pounce and I took another step back, he followed me until my lower back was against the couch. I gripped the plush surface tightly. "You know I can't do that, Devin."

"Like hell you can't!" I snapped at him angry that this was even _happening. _He grit his teeth in rage at me and socked me in the chest, the force making me topple backward onto the couch as he dived after me. A feral growl had left his throat as we wrestled with one another. I struggled with him for awhile until he had me pinned on the floor. He sat on my hips, my skirt askew and riding up and my blouse rumpled with buttons ripped off. He had my hands pinned above my head. _Shit!_

I wheezed and coughed when I finally tired of thrashing around. Though, when I felt his hand creeping up my thigh, I screamed and kicked my legs, more adrenaline humming in my veins. I pulled my head up and bit into his forearm, causing him to cry out. I felt his blood pool in my mouth and down my chin as I held on. He slapped me and I clenched my jaw, my eyes slamming shut when white pain burst behind my eyes.

He hit me again with something metal the second time and I let go. I felt blood pouring from my temple when I finally was able to look back up at him. Instead of staring up into indigo eyes, a .40mm pistol was staring down at me. His hand had left my thigh to grab it and I was completely still.

His sadistic laugh echoed around my quite house and he moved his mouth down to my ear, "Now, Devin. This is how it's going to be," he started casually, "be a good little girl and comply, or I'll have to hurt you. And we both know I don't want to do that." Tears welled up behind my closed eyelids and I could feel them running down my cheeks. _I-I can't... _I thought, _I can never give into this psycho bastard. There's no way. _In a second of clarity, as mere seconds ticked by while I laid pinned under a man I hated with a passion, I realized that there was no way to get out of this. I was either going to be raped and killed or fight with the little energy I had left and die anyway.

My glassy eyes opened and I stared up at Sean. He had this smug little smirk across his lips and it made me _furious_. I glared at him, my dark gray eyes bringing forth fresh tears and I rocked forward, my head crashing into his jaw, causing an abrupt cry to slip from Sean's mouth. As he leaned back to avoid me, I chomped back down on his arm just below my previous bite. He screamed in anger and ripped me away from his injured arm with his opposite hand, effectively slamming my head back against the floor. I was too dazed to even move my freed arms before he had a chance to re-pin me.

"So be it!" He let out a belt of hysterical laughter as the gun fired. The pain was harsh and hot, right through my heart, then it dissipated just as quickly as it came. It filled me completely, that icy cold feeling, as my vision blanked away at the edges. Before I vanished from the world, a single thought resonated through my dieing brain, _Sorry, Morgan, I should have been more safe once I was at home, too__._

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><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Notes: <strong>

_So, I'm rewriting this story. I did use some parts from the original, but I did try to change it up a bit. I'm trying as hard as I can to get the style to match up with the original version. Please bear with me, I'm doing my best. _

_Don't be shy, review and let me know how I'm doing._

_I answer all of my reviews, too._

Devin, Morgan, Koiji and Sean are of my creation and belong to me.

The characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho cannon belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.


	2. Chapter 2: Crash Landing

Inside The Fire

Chapter 02:

"Crash Landing"

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><p>Dieing was a lot like being set free. I felt safe here in the black abyss where I was floating aimlessly. I felt clean of the world I left behind. Being dead felt like going back to the beginning where I was still a part of my mother, curled up snugly in her womb, warm and protected.<p>

The blackness surrounding me was neither smothering nor flimsily holding me. I could almost imagine death holding me like a baby in his arms, curled up against his chest and sleeping soundly. There were no others here. I wasn't in heaven where people depicted angels sleeping on clouds and watching over their human pets below. I wasn't in hell either, there was no fire or brimstone here. There was nothing here, and that suited me just fine.

I couldn't remember how I ended up here, and I didn't remember who I was. I had no memory of my appearance, or friends. Had I died in a miscarriage? Maybe an old woman asleep in her bed? I flipped in the vast abyss, or I thought I did. Here, in the ocean of darkness, even I was colorless.

I felt as though I didn't exist as my own entity anymore. I was one with the darkness, a new and growing part of the ever-growing bleakness. If I could have smiled, I would. This is where peace resided. This was serenity's dwelling. Eternal sleep was granted to me, and I felt entirely grateful.

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><p>I wasn't aware of it at first. Then sensation was minimal and hardly recognizable, but over whatever amount of time it had been, it had grown. A feeling of being pulled made itself known to my senses. I was unsure of the direction. This feeling lasted for what I assumed a long while, though it could have been mere seconds here in my void.<p>

All of a sudden, I felt _whole. _The feeling was unmistakable and I wanted to cry out. The safety net I felt around me before had left me, and I was rushing down. I would like to hope I fought, but I'll never be sure. Wind was whipping me, and I felt cold.

Next, my eyes opened, and I quickly shut them to the harsh light. I opened my mouth again to scream, and I heard a voice, my voice. The pitch was high and rang out in agony as I continued to plummet. I vaguely wondered if it would ever end.

I got my answer when I slammed into the ground and my thoughts ceased as I blacked out.

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><p>I could hear the faint sounds of birds chirping, and then I felt the ache of my back and head. I opened my eyes and blinked away the cloudiness. The ceiling was made up of wood panels and I let my head fall to the right. A small elderly woman sat there Indian style with her arms crossed. Her hair was a grayish...pink? <em>That's weird. <em>I thought, watching her look back at me.

I tried pushing myself into a sitting position and found the pain to be too great. I grunted and let myself fall back. "You took a pretty big fall." She said in a hoarse voice that fit her. I blinked at her, I hadn't heard Japanese since I had last spoken to my father.

"Fall? No, I died." I felt my brow scrunch in confusion. _When did I fall?_

"Apparently not if you're here talking to me." I turned my head away from her. _This makes no sense. I remember Sean shooting me, then the pain.. _I closed my eyes tightly and grit my teeth.

I pushed myself upright with one forward lunge and ripped open the front of the white robe I was wrapped in. There was no bandaging, or hole in my chest. Heck, there wasn't even a scar or any sort of mark that _should_ have been there.

I turned back to face the old woman, "What was that?"

"What's your name?" She repeated.

"Devin." I answered, looking back down to my bare and unmarred chest. This was crazy. I _died._

"What day is it?" She asked, I could see her outline watching me carefully

"February eighteenth, two-thousand two-hundred and sixty." I answered, still wrapped up with not being wounded.

_ So am I in Japan? Why am I here? How did I get here? What does she mean I fell? _My mind buzzed with too many questions and I reached up to rub my temple, when a lock of bright purple hair fell into my face. I stared at it with wide eyes and reached back to grab more of the same color hair.

"What happened to my hair?" I just about yelled when I twisted back to look at the old lady. "What have you done to me?" I eyed her wearily as my chest heaved. _What's happened to me?_

"Follow me." She said as she stood and opened the shoji door behind her. I stood on shaking legs wearily after closing and retying my robe. I stumbled after her and into a deep maze of halls until we came to a large empty room with traditional style mats. She took a seat on one across the room and I stood in the doorway. A few men sat in the room, one with orange hair, another with brown, and the last with black. I felt panic run through me and I stepped back to bump into something. I whipped around and a redhead towered over me. _I'm trapped! _I cried out in my mind as I slipped back away from him.

I looked around wildly for a route of escape. There was nowhere to go unless I tackled the man in front of me. I threw myself at him and he caught me easily, restraining my thrashing form. My yells of, "Let go!" and "Put me down!" went ignored as he shut the door behind him and sat me down on a mat next to the old woman. I went to run and he pushed me back into my seat once more.

My throat felt painfully dry when I swallowed. I sat there quietly, fear keeping me painfully still, my eyes on the red-head as he took his seat across from me. "Devin," the old woman spoke to me and I looked at her, "can you tell me what year it is again?"

I nodded, not seeing any reason to fight anymore. I was surrounded by four rather buff looking boys and an elderly woman, my chance for escape was minimal. The black-haired one spoke from his corner of the room, "Try it and I'll kill you," he said while glaring.

I glared right on back, "Been there done that," I sneered.

"The year, Devin." The woman repeated, annoyed.

"February eighteenth, two-thousand two-hundred and sixty." I answered, looking back at her with a blank face.

"Why does your hair surprise you?" She continued the questioning.

"Because before I died, it was dark brown, not florescent purple." Was my deadpan reply.

"What color were your eyes?" I felt my stomach drop. _Oh god, not my eyes too._

"Gray." I said tentatively, hoping to whatever god could hear me, that they weren't some freaky neon color too.

"Where are you from?" She seemed to ignore my dread and plowed right through the interrogation.

"America." I answered truthfully, finding no reason to lie to these people. I mean, I was dead, it's not like any of this mattered, right? _Right?_

"Who is Hisato to you?" She took a sip from a cup I just noticed in her hands.

"I don't know anyone by that name." I replied, confused.

"What type of demon are you?" She continued easily, as though she was asking about the weather.

I sputtered and my eyes went wide, "Demon? I'm human!" I insisted.

She ignored my outburst and moved on to a new question, "How did you die?"

I felt myself frown as my eyes drooped, my right hand instinctively moved over the space where my heart would lay. " I was shot in the heart after refusing to behave while my ex-boyfriend tried to rape me." I felt the rush of the bullet through my skin for a split second and my hand clenched at the fabric of my robe before relaxing.

The woman nodded, though I paid no mind. I looked up when I heard boots scuff the wood floor and felt the wind of someone moving around me. I looked up to see the black-haired boy sitting in front of me on the floor. His legs were crossed and I caught sight of the color of his eyes in the light. His iris' were as red as a strawberry Twizzler, and brighter still. I felt my own eyes go wide as I straightened my back.

He reached behind his head, "Close your eyes," he instructed in a gruff voice. I complied and his arm moved or at least that's what I assumed when I heard a ruffling of cloth, my eyes popped open and he growled at me, "Keep them closed!" he said quickly, his hand covering his forehead.

I shut my eyes tight and nodded. I thought about random things, like grass, or rain on a window pane before my thoughts drifted to the enveloping darkness of death. My mind wandered to Sean, his indigo eyes wide and crazed. I forced myself to go back to thinking about blades of grass flowing as wind twisted them in a quiet dance.

I focused on the feeling of the warm breeze on my face when I felt something odd. It moved like a fleeting feather touch, careful in its movements, before diving down into old memories.

I watched as a smaller _normal _looking me played with a girl with blond hair. I quickly recognized her with her large grin and determined green eyes. She chased a laughing gray eyed me across plush grass in a game of tag.

I smiled fondly, _Morgan. _I said mentally as I watched the girl with long bouncing pigtails and creamy skin.

The tingle left the memory and shuffled through to a few years later in life. It was a still picture of an eight year old me with my dads large hand on my head and a toy car by my feet. The large remote with its long antenna crowded my small hands. The two were both smiling, my dad's crooked grin made me smile fondly as it faded away.

More scenes played for me as the tingle wandered through my previous life. I watched myself go crabbing with my parents on a small pier. The sun shone brightly as large puffy white clouds rolled by and played shadows over the marsh water. The reeds and cattails swayed in the breeze and I could smell the salt water like I was there. My thirteen year old self snatched a string that was tied to the pier and pulled the trap up with haste to find a large grab fumbling around. She smiled brightly and passed the cage to her father while her mother smiled and patted the girl on the back, saying encouraging things I couldn't hear.

I felt my throat become thick, _Mom, dad... I miss you. _I thought sadly.

The next thing, and the last thing my memory came to was my birthday. I watched my normal looking former self in all her glory, singing and dancing around in the driver seat of her old red Jeep. The windows up and the skies shining brightly as she drove on.

Then the door that smashed into me and sent me falling to the floor as I relived the ambush. I watched the no longer handsome face of Sean come into view as he locked the door and ripped me up from the floor, a glimpse of my living-room could be seen when I turned to back to the couch. I felt the fear, anger and disgust well up in my gut as he attacked me to the floor and pinned me. I could taste his blood in my mouth, his arm between my teeth as I bit down. I saw black and felt the pain in my temple from being pistol whipped. I once again stared down the barrel of his pistol. Then his words in my ear. The warm tears that soaked my face, and the ring of the gunshot and the pain before it all faded away and I opened my eyes again.

I felt my stomach twist, and I held down the bile rising in my gut with sheer will alone. _I'm not letting that bastard get to me, not now, not ever. _I growled in my mind as my knuckles went white in my lap.

"Well, Hiei?" The pink haired woman asked.

"Hn. The onna's been truthful." I looked to him and eyed the slit marring his forehead before he re-covered it with his bandana. He regarded me with eyes I couldn't read before standing and moving back to his seat against the wall away from all of us.

"I dunno, Grandma, do you really think we can trust her?" This was the first time I had heard the brunette speak. _Is he her grandson? _I wondered.

"She doesn't feel evil, Urameshi. Give her a break, she just fell out of the sky into a time that isn't even hers and she's scared. Relax man." The voice of the orange haired one cut in and I reminded myself to thank him later. _That explains where I fell from at least._ I grimaced at a bolt of pain that crossed the bridge of my spine and hunched forward. _So much for the adrenaline blocking the pain._

"If she was the enemy, they must have discarded her." I saw the redhead across from me take in my appearance with cool, calculating eyes. The deep forest green color brought Morgan's face to my mind and I quickly looked away from him and back down into my lap.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She smirked at me and I caught the look from the corner of my eye. The rest seemed to nod in agreement.

"I have a few questions." I stated after a few moments of silence, I looked the woman in the eye.

"You may ask them after you answer a few more of ours." I nodded and shifted to become more comfortable on my mat.

"What's your full name?" She asked once I was settled.

"Devin Cyla Ohayashi." I replied.

"Was your father Japanese?" The red-head asked, seemingly curious.

"Yes, my father was Japanese and my mother was Romanian-American." I answered him calmly.

"An odd mix," he nodded, "What part of America did you reside in?"

"Denver, Colorado." I felt a smile pull at the edge of my lips as I thought of the beautiful mountains.

"How old are you?" The one who was called Urameshi spoke up.

"I turned nineteen today, well, if it's February eighteenth still."

"It is," he nodded, "but the year is two-thousand and one."

I felt numb for a several minutes. Not only had I come back to life, but I was in the past. _What the heck kind of joke is _this_? Is this guy really fucking serious? _The stare I directed toward the boy could have been described as 'panicked' or possibly even 'surprised'.

"What is the future like?" The orange top blurted out excitedly.

I turned my gaze to the orange top, my confusion edging away but still nagging at the edge of my thoughts, "Well, in America a lot of natural land is still there, but the towns have modernized. Cigarette's became outlawed in two-thousand one-hundred some time and they put the drinking age back down to eighteen somewhere before that. Medicine has advanced greatly from this time to mine. They discovered a cure for cancer after pushing through with stem cell research and they created healing tanks for the severely injured. Cars have also all been upgraded to run on vegetable oil. They decided that after the last oil spill wiped out the last of the wild Blue-fin Tuna." I counted off as many things as I could think of, most was common knowledge or what I learned from a history book.

When no one else asked me anything, I spoke, taking it as a sign as a change of turns, "Why did you ask if I was a demon?"

"Because you have demon energy, and no normal human has bright purple hair." Urameshi countered.

I frowned, it was impossible. _I died a human, did I transform when I moved into the past?_ "Is it possible that my move through time could have caused my change in," I paused looking for the right word, "species?"

"Anything's possible." Green eyes answered my question and I sighed.

"Are you all demons, or?" I trailed off to let them fill in the blanks.

"Hiei, the one behind you, is completely. Yusuke, the brunette, is a half demon. And I am a spirit fox demon, a Yoko. My name is Kurama by the way." I nodded, putting their names in my memory bank.

I pointed to the old woman and carrot top. "And you two?"

"Human. And I'm Genkai, master and owner of this temple." She grunted. I blinked and nodded again.

"I'm human too, the name's Kazuma Kuwabara, but you can just call me Kuwabara." He grinned at me. I smiled slightly at him and prayed it didn't look like a grimace.

"Nice to meet you all, I suppose." I replied, and then, "So, if you're a spirit fox, that means there's more then one type of demon?" I asked Kurama when I turned back to him.

"Yes, though we are unsure of what you are. Hiei is a fire demon while Yusuke is a human and Mazoku mix." I looked between the two and then to Genkai.

"What happens now?" I asked her, awkwardly. _I sure as hell don't know what to do. _I sighed mentally.

"You will be staying here. We can't completely out rule you as a threat, but like I said, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' For now you will stay here with us and we'll let Koenma know you're here and see what he can find out about you." She took a long sip of her tea.

"Who's Koenma?" I asked, confusion showing.

"Koenma is the Prince of the Spirit World. You'll meet him later." She said simply and sat her cup on the floor before her mat. "Now, we have some business to discuss. Yukina will show you to the bath and supply you with some clothing."

I stood and turned to leave, murmuring a quiet thank you before walking out the shoji door. I came face to face with a mint haired girl. Her eyes reminded me of coagulated blood. She smiled at me and her eyes shimmered with happiness. "Hello, I'm Yukina. I hope you're feeling better, you gave me a scare earlier." She took my hand and patted it.

I appreciated the kind gesture and felt my lips turn up in the barest of smiles, "Hello, Yukina, I'm Devin. I'm sorry about earlier," I frowned a little, "do you mind telling me what happened?"

"Oh! You fell from the sky right into my garden. I'm glad though, if it had been anywhere else you would have been hurt worse than what you had been."

I blinked at her and I felt my face heat up, I bowed slightly, "I'm sorry for destroying your garden, Yukina-san." I apologized and re-erected myself, "What injuries are you speaking of?" I asked her politely as she began to lead me away from the door and back through the maze of halls.

"You had a cracked skull and your thoracic section of vertebrae were misaligned and crushed." I winced, _How am I not brain-dead? Or paralyzed? They couldn't have the healing tanks here._

Yukina must have seen my facial expression because she smiled reassuringly, "Not to worry, I healed you with my demon powers, though you may be sore for a little while. You see, I'm an Ice Maiden." I smiled at her softly and we stopped when we were in front of the bath. I noticed we had passed my room that was just down the hall after turning the last corner.

I bowed lowly to her after she handed me a stack of clothes and a large fluffy towel. She was smiling at me when I stood and she pointed into the bathroom, "I gathered you a bath kit, it's sitting on the stool near the faucet. With Japanese baths you wash first, then soak if you wish. I've already prepared the tub for you to soak in." I thanked her and shut myself into the steamy room.

I heard a faint, "I'll be out here when you're done," through the door and sat my things down on the small metal rack. I tore off the robe and threw it near the door. I caught sight of myself in a mirror as I passed by the sink and back tracked to see what else was different about my appearance.

Florescent purple hair shone brightly under the artificial light. The style was still my own with shaggy bangs that fell into my no longer gray eyes. I frowned as I stared into my bright sky blue eyes. They were wide an innocent with long dark lashes. My eyebrows matched my hair color and were sculpted to perfection to match my face. My nose was still small and 'button' like and my lips still 'pout-y', as Morgan liked to say. I rested my palms on my cheeks to make sure I was actually real, that this _was _me. My heart shaped face rested easily in my petite hands. _God, I look like a preteen!_ My lips thinned into a line with my displeasure,

My skin was milky white, and looked close to being sickly. Nothing wrong there. I turned and moved my waist length hair over my shoulder to get a view of my back. There wasn't a single scratch or bruise from my fall, the skin however, was slightly red like someone had rubbed or scratched it. I let go of my hair to feel the back of my head, it was tender, but whole. I assumed myself to be the same height and cup size. Though a lot of my appearance was the same, I looked like I had turned back the clock with my age. With the iris color change, my eyes seemed wider and more child-like, where as before the dark gray color had given me a darker more thoughtful look. The hair color was no help as well. I reminded myself of a cartoon character, and my frown deepened. I had never really dyed my hair like most people my age. I turned to my collection of bath supplies.

_ Lavender._ The shampoo bottle read when I picked it up from the plastic bin. The conditioner bottle said the same thing. The soap from the small box was a plain white bar that just smelled clean, it held no perfumes. I turned the water on and moved the box to the side where I could avoid wetting it, but still reach it. I dropped my cloth down next to it.

I hosed myself down with hot water that eased my sore, aching muscles. With a sigh I drenched my hair and hung up the wand on its hook. Picking up the shampoo, I worked a good amount into my hair, making sure it was thoroughly lathered before rinsing the suds out. Grabbing the bar of soap, I wet a washcloth before rubbing it over the bar of soap. I put the soap back into the plastic box it came in and sat it in its case before scrubbing every inch of my new body until my skin was raw.

My mind wandered to home, and if Sean was caught. I wondered how Morgan would take the news and I frowned. Tears threatened to fall when I thought of my parents planning my funeral, but I pushed them back and let myself grieve silently. I would never see any of them again, and it hurt. It hurt a lot more than dieing did.

I rinsed everything, my skin, hair, the lot. I hung the sprayer once more and sat on the stool once my hair was filled with conditioner. I found a disposable razor and removed the plastic guard. I shaved what needed to be and rinsed the blade before recapping it and tossing it in my bin. I rinsed one more time, rinsing any removed hair away that may have clung to me and the product from my changed hair.

The soaking tub was quite big. You could easily fit three men in here, or four small women. I stepped in and immediately sunk under the surface completely. I let myself float back to the top and I laid there, my arms spread over the surface. I watched the steam waft up into the air. _They think I'm the leftovers of some enemy. _I closed my eyes and drifted back under the water. _But who's the enemy anyway? Is some civil war going on?_ I tried to remember anything I learned from world history, and came up short. Nothing was relevant when it came to demons.

I pushed up from the bottom of the tub and broke the surface. _I look like me, minus the hair and eye color. So this must be my body. Or maybe I had an ancestor I never knew about. _I yawned and stood in the pool of water. I wrung out my hair and drained the water when I got out of the bath. The white towel felt good against my skin as I dried off and rubbed my hair semi-dry. I found a comb in my bath kit and ran it through my locks, untangling any knots. I left my hair down and picked up the first piece of clothing I had in my pile.

I pulled on the large white button up, it hung loosely to my shoulders and the cuffs fell past my hands. I pushed them up so I could use my hands to pull on the oversized navy boxers. I folded the elastic waist band down multiple times until they fit snugly over my hips, the ends coming to my mid-thigh. I gathered my plastic basket by the center handle and gathered my towel and old robe in my arms. I spotted a hamper and dumped both items into it before opening the door.

True to her word, Yukina was standing next to the door and she smiled at me when I walked out. I smiled back at her slightly and she led me back to my room around the corner. She opened the door for me, "You can leave your bath things here, we'll be having dinner soon so I'll show you to the kitchen." She smiled prettily at me.

I frowned a little at the thought of food, I wasn't hungry at all, "Would it be alright if I skipped dinner? I'm feeling drowsy after that bath."

She nodded in understanding and I bowed to her, "Thank you Yukina-san, for everything."

"Just Yukina is fine, and you're welcome." She giggled and bowed back to me.

I nodded and left her in the hall, closing my door behind me. The bin of bath products was easily forgotten by the door when I caught sight of my disheveled futon. A singular thick blue blanket was the only protection I had against the cool winter air that seeped into the room. I snuggled deep into its warm embrace and watched the hall light leek under the door.

My thoughts roamed over my home and those I left behind. The only movement that came from my form was the gentle rise and fall of my chest and the periodical blinking of my eyes as I reminisced. Shock of all that I had lost, gained, and the changes I had been slammed into quite not registering yet. I blamed it on the speediness of it all; my revived brain couldn't process the information. The closest example I could possibly give to describe the feeling is jet-lag. When I finally fell asleep, it was a heavy one where any incoming dreams wouldn't be remembered. I hadn't truly realized how tired I really was.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Notes:<strong>

_Here's the re-written version of chapter two. This one I kept very much the same. I did change how Hiei acted in this one, since in the __previous__ version he seemed.. just not how I feel he should act. Ya know? I know this chapter sort of drags on with all the introductions and meeting's, but they had to happen eventually. Better to get them over now so we can get on with everything. _

_With Devin there's a lot to pay attention to, she's gone through quite a bit so far and we don't even know how she lived previously. Her change in appearance and species will be explained in due time, of course. _

Devin, Morgan, Koiji, Sean and Hisato are of my creation and belong to me.

The characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho cannon belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.


	3. Chapter 3: Radio

Inside The Fire

Chapter 03:

"Radio"

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><p>I must not have heard my door open, because someone was shaking me awake. I sighed deeply and yawned, my hand swatting away the annoyance. A chuckle of laughter made me blink at the shadow hovering over me.<p>

"It's time to wake up Devin." An unknown voice said and I froze.

The face was hidden by shadows, as was to be expected with his body blocking the light coming in from behind. I looked around in a panic and my memory sprung into quick action. My lungs gradually unfroze as I breathed in a shuddering breath and nodded. _I forgot, _I silently scolded myself, _that_ _shit hit the fan and went sci-fi on my ass. _

I wasn't sure who woke me until I was off my futon and standing in the hall with them. Bright orange hair dared me to not remember who I was talking to. He had been blabbing about escorting me to breakfast when I reached out to touch his arm.

His expression was curious, his beady eyes were trained on me and waiting. "Thank you, for sticking up for me yesterday." I looked Kuwabara in the eye and he grinned a lopsided grin.

"It's nothing. I can just tell when people are good, and I can tell you were just as confused about all of this as we were." He continued, "Now go brush your teeth, I'll wait here."

I nodded and did as he asked.

* * *

><p>A corner was turned, I made no mental dictations of the way to where we were going. I wasn't surprised to see everyone at the table already. Yukina caught sight of me from her place at the long traditional table and smiled when I sat down in the closest of the two open seats. Breakfast consisted of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, tamagoyaki, natto, nori and tsukemono pickles. My stomach flipped with distaste at the scent of seafood so early in the morning and I felt the color drain from my face.<p>

Everyone stared at me expectantly and I picked up my bowl of rice and chop sticks. I reached out for a pickled plum and ate it quickly. Soon everyone else was taking their share of food and I struggled with remembering how to use my utensils before finally being able to shovel rice into my mouth.

The two previously mentioned foods were the only ones I ate, and I sipped my warm tea quietly. I felt eyes on me now and then and when I glanced in the particular persons direction they quickly looked away. The rest chatted or dined in silence while Yusuke and I played an annoying game of tag with our stares until I decided to watch him until he finally looked back at me.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Yusuke-san." I said after a few moments.

To this he scoffed and went back to eating, this time without watching me periodically. My eyebrow twitched in annoyance and I relaxed my face. What could I do, scold him for being rude? Not likely. _Today should be interesting._ I could already tell the brunette and I were going to clash. He was skeptical of me, and I was frustrated with him. _And it's not even eight o'clock yet._

I had finished my food before everyone else, and I sat and looked around the medium size room patiently. The counter tops were smooth white marble with flecks of slate gray. I was studying the random pattern closely when I noticed the rest of the room was quiet. Without turning my head I swiveled my eyes to the head of the table where Genkai sat. Everyone was staring at me down the parallel rows of seats and it made my already uneasy stomach ache more.

"Hai..?" I asked after fully looking down to the old woman.

"Kurama will be accompanying you to your room for you to get changed. You will be staying there until someone comes to get you." She stood swiftly and left. I blinked at her and Kurama stood after her and motioned for me to do the same.

I stood and followed the lean redhead. His hair swung behind his back and I watched it in a sort of trance. It preoccupied me from the unease I had gnawing in my chest. Something about his green eyes unnerved me. _I'm not sure if it's the resemblance to Morgan, or the way he seems to see through me._ I shivered and he turned to me when we stopped at my door. He handed me a pack of clothing I hadn't seen him pick up on our way out here and he leaned against the wall next to my room.

"Someone will be back to get you for lunch, Devin-san," I nodded, not bothering to return his polite smile.

I dumped the clothes on the floor and unbuttoned the shirt I was wearing. The large boxer shorts followed the rumpled shirt onto the new floor pile as I stripped. In the new pile of clean clothing were blue boxer shorts that I rolled at the waist to fit me, and a large white shirt. What puzzled me was the new bra laying on the floor, tags intact and all. I checked the size to find it slightly smaller than what I needed and ignored that fact. _Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. _I finally rationalized and ripped the tags off. The white lacy contraption scraped at my skin as I hooked the front clip.

Adjusting the skin trap was irritating after a few seconds until I just left it alone with a huff. The large white t-shirt was baggy enough to hide my chest problem. Combing my hair proved to be simple as no snags or tangles presented themselves. Poking my head out the door, I checked to see if anyone was in the hall before making my way to the wash room.

_I need to go put these in that hamper in the bathroom, _I sighed. Wandering further down the hall and around to the next hall had me feeling safe, the hall seemed deserted. When I rapped my knuckles against the door there was a shuffle of movement and then it swung open with such haste that I nearly stumbled back, I had already dropped my arm load.

Yusuke rushed out and grabbed me by my shirt collar. He yanked me up to eye level and I stared up at him unmoving, "What do you think you're doing out of your room, eh?" He glared down at me. _I didn't even hear him come this way! _My thoughts ricocheted off my skull and I fought to compose myself.

"I was just bringing these clothes to the hamper." I pulled my face back from his and he looked down on the floor. His face fell and he dropped me.

"Whatever, just don't let me catch you out here again." He spat over his shoulder as he stalked off down a hall.

My shoulders slumped and I picked up the scattered clothing from the floor with shaking fingers. _That could have went better. _My subconscious whispered to me as I haphazardly threw the garments into the basket and scurried back to my room before I could run into anyone else.

* * *

><p>My room was horribly boring. Plain cream-colored walls surrounded me in a small box that I could swear was closing in. The wood floor was bare except for my (still laid out and unkempt) futon that laid in the middle of the floor horizontally. I was currently sitting on it with my legs crossed and my heels under my thighs. A plain cherry-wood dresser with brass knobs sat in the top right corner against the back wall whilst a door of the same wood and knob style stood in the opposite corner of the adjacent wall.<p>

I eyed it before looking at the other side of the room. The back wall opposite the door to enter was bare except for the previously mentioned dresser and a vanity table with a large mirror over the top of it. The wood matched the rest and it had a single thin drawer under the top surface. A small stool sat under the table out-of-the-way. There was also something of a coffee table pushed against the wall as if it was moved to make room for the futon. That was all this room had to offer me when it came to furniture.

The dresser was as empty as I felt at that moment. I wouldn't say I was lonely, not because I wasn't, but because I was stubborn. I refused to let myself linger on home as I swatted any memory or lingering thought of it away. I stood swiftly from my bed and I moved to the closet. The worst that could happen was a junk avalanche, much like what would happen if I was at my house, in my room. Shaking my head, I reached out for the handle. The door crept open and nothing fell on me, luckily.

On the highest shelf was a dusty radio and a table lamp that probably saw better days. Then there was a stack of lighter blankets for the futon, an old stuffed dog, a couple of floor mats and a Yamaha keyboard on the lower shelves. I smiled at the radio and reached up to grab it, only to miss by a foot. I pouted up at the tall shelf and tried to jump to reach it, but came up, well, short.

I looked back around the room for something to stand on, and that's when I spotted the stool. _Bingo, baby!_ I smirked at it and sat it at the door. Climbing onto the stool was fine, standing on the top wasn't so great. My knees trembled and the padded surface of the top wasn't as easy to grip with my feet as I thought. The whole thing wobbled and I quickly packed my arms with the old electronic and light and jumped down to the floor before I could fall.

Radio and lamp alike found a seat on the floor as I scurried around to rearrange my living space. The blanket and futon folded up easily and I shoved them both into the closet on the space near the other blankets. With the floor clear, I pulled the table into a reasonable place near the closet. When I tossed out two floor mats on either side of the low table they didn't give off much, if any, dust. I assumed them to be newer additions to the closet.

_Now to see if these things work,_ I thought as I picked up the radio and lamp. Dust fluttered into the air as I wiped the lamp clean. The white porcelain and cream-colored shade matched my bare room perfectly. I made its new home the furthest corner of the vanity that was up against the wall. The stool was moved when I ducked under the table to run the light's cord. I plugged it into the dual outlet that was behind the furniture piece and scurried back out. The lamp burst into life when I pulled the cord, and I shut it back off.

Next, I focused on the radio. _One down, one to go, _I pushed my hair behind my ear and got to work wiping away the grime from the medium-sized black box. The radio sat in my lap as I used the edge of my shirt to wipe in between buttons, knobs, and around the latch that held the antenna. When I was satisfied at its cleanliness I sat it opposite the lamp and ran the cord in the same manner as the other electrical device. I took my seat yet again and got to work with fiddling with, what to me was, a prehistoric device.

I turned on the box and flipped the switch to the FM setting, a buzz of static filled the room and I turned up the volume and moved the antenna around. Muffled voices faded in and out the first two times I went through the range of stations. Glaring at it in concentration, I switched back to a channel that was recently passed. _Now let's get this moved. _I thought as I tilted the metal stick into odd positions The radio crackled and the channel finally came to life even when I moved my hand (you know how radio's like to be difficult and fuzz back out as soon as you move) away from the antenna.

"Amerika no toppu rokku hitto! Kore wa, Blurry de Puddle of Mudd!" The female Japanese spokesperson said happily. Her pronunciation of the band almost made me laugh, her accent was thick, but it was well enough.

The music wasn't unknown to me. Older bands had always been my favorite, but in my time this was considered classic rock, _really _classic. The sounds reminded me of home and I smiled sadly. The music box was shut off and I shuffled back to the open closet.

I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to have the keyboard out, or leave it in my closet. I had only learned a few songs in my life from Mama, mostly just songs from her homeland. Dirt flew from the surface when I finally sat it out. It took up the whole top and the sides hung over the edges of the small coffee table. The keys were easy enough to wipe down and I plopped down on the mat.

The dual prong plug fit in the only other outlet I had easily. The instrument turned on with a flip of the switch and I tapped one of the keys. It worked just fine. Sighing, I ran over a few measures of the first song I could think of, and began to play. It was a song I had picked up from mother, a Japanese tune she had learned before she met father. It had since been translated to English for my sake.

"_I don't feel a thing, and I stopped remembering. The days are just like moments turned to hours._" My fingers moved over the appropriate notes and my voice had a harsh jazz quality that wasn't intended, but sounded right. I grit my teeth and fought off tears, opting to skip the next verse to refrain from breaking down. I jumped to the chorus.

My fingers ran up and down the keys and I closed my eyes, "_Walk in the rain, in the rain, in the rain._" I sung out a little louder, losing myself in the old song. "_I walk in the rain, in the rain. Is it right __or is it wrong,_" I paused a moment, then, "_and is it here that I belong?_"

A loud knock on my door startled me and I jumped, my fingers slapping the keys in a painful sound. I blinked up at Kurama who had walked shamelessly into my room and smiled pleasantly at me.

"Seems that you've kept busy," he commented as his eyes raked over my form.

This caused me to look myself over. My baggy shirt was splotched with dark dirt patches and my arms and hands were marred with black dust smudges.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Was my intelligent reply as I shut off the keyboard and stood from my cushion.

Kurama held his arm out to motion toward the hall and I followed his instruction. I walked behind him back toward the kitchen. Not everyone was at the table. I quickly noticed Hiei and Yusuke were missing. Kurama pointed out to the sink and I went to wash away as much of the grime as possible. I frowned at the seat across from me once I was seated, _It'd be too awkward to be around Yusuke, anyway._ I thought. Yukina smiled and greeted me like we were the best of friends, and I waved at her slightly from across the table.

Kuwabara grinned at me as well and I nodded toward him. We all dug into our food. I took small bites from the sandwich and chewed slowly. My stomach had recovered from breakfast, but I didn't find myself to be hungry. I left over half of my sandwich on the plate and sipped the hot tea in my cup until it was gone.

"How has your day been, Devin-san?" Yukina asked me.

I couldn't help but smile softly at her, "It's been fine, Yukina."

"Devin-san was playing a piano when I found her," Kurama added in.

I flushed slightly and glanced at him, _Way to put me on blast, fox._

"Is that true?" The way her eyes sparkled made my heart melt.

"Yes, though I'm not very good. I found the keyboard in the closet of my room." I explained.

Kurama stood and bowed slightly to the young ice maiden, "I'm afraid I must take Devin-san back to her room. The food was delicious Yukina-chan, thank you."

She blushed prettily and nodded to the fox. I gave the mint haired girl one last twinge of the lips before shuffling after the demon. I walked quickly to keep up with his long strides. When we were outside the room he stood blocking my door and I frowned.

"Yukina will be back later to bring you to dinner and then to bathe," he made to move around me and I went to grab his sleeve to stop him. I had a question to ask.

Next thing I knew my wrists were pinned over my head and a blade of grass was pressed to my throat. Forest green eyes had darkened to murky green-black pools. My breathing caught in my throat at his stare and I spoke before I was killed for the _second _time this week.

"I just wanted to ask if I could go use the restroom." I breathed out quietly.

He let me go and the grass disappeared in his hand. Without apologizing he dropped me down and led me around the corner. I sped into the wash room and around the divider to where the toilet and sink were. I did my business and washed my hands before splashing water over my face and drying it. I looked up at my changed reflection and sighed before exiting and passing Kurama back to my own room. Refusing to acknowledge the fox spirit, I walked past him with as much dignity as I could muster after just being in a threatened position, and hid myself in my cage of a room. His light footsteps echoed down the hallway and I strained to hear them before finally relaxing.

I frowned at my bare room and sat back down at the keyboard. _Yusuke, now Kurama. _I sighed and rubbed my forehead wearily. _Why am I here, to be kept under house arrest until they decide to kill me? _I turned on the keyboard and played with my left hand while my right held my head up, my elbow propped up on my bent knee. _If I was brought back, then there has to be a reason, right? _My right hand joined my left for a slow tune that I made up as I went along.

_I hope this Koenma guy has some answers, because I sure as hell don't. _The song continued as I ran through measures, slow songs and fast ones alike rang out for the next few hours until I just shut off the machine. I opened the closet and pulled out my futon and folded blanket. I put the futon back in its old space and tossed it's pillow on the left end and threw the blanket over the rest. Just as I was finishing, a soft knock came over my door and I opened it.

Yukina smiled at me and I returned it in my own way, "Ready to get washed up for dinner, Devin-san?"

"Just Devin is fine, Yukina." She nodded and waited quietly while I got my bath basket.

The blue plastic shined when the light hit it and I shut the light off before closing my door. The girl handed me another pack of clothing and I thanked her. We both entered the bath and she began to strip, I blushed slightly and reminded myself it was normal for Japanese to bathe among their own sex. I stripped easily and tossed the used clothing into the basket, except for the bra. My hold on the cloth was tight when I turned to her.

"Was this from you?" I asked quietly.

"Oh," she blushed, "yes, I don't wear them, so I gave it to you."

"Thank you very much." I bowed my head, then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what do you wear?"

"I wrap my chest with bandages, it's simpler," she explained.

I nodded and noticed a second new bra on my clean stack of clothing. I tossed the lacy cloth in my hand with the rest of the dirty laundry and moved to the showering off area. Yukina was already there with her hair down and drenching herself. The ice maiden sprayed me with the warm water when I stopped next to her. I smiled at her giggles and scrubbed my skin, as she finished with her hair I moved onto mine and fully rinsed at the end. I dried off instead of moving onto the soaking tub.

My hair went up in the towel as I pulled on the clothing. _Oh, thank god. _ I thought as I tied the drawstring tight around my hips, _Now my pants will stay up, hopefully. _The green and black plaid pajama pants fit me better then the other clothes, but were still extremely big. The end cuffs covered my feet and bunched around my ankles. I put the new bra on and pulled on the large gray t-shirt over it. I let my hair down from the towel and combed it again. It was half dry and that was just fine. I used my toothbrush and cleaned my teeth, applied deodorant and rinsed my face.

Yawning as I picked up my bin and tossed the towel away, "I think I'll skip dinner and go straight to bed. Goodnight, Yukina." I finally managed to get out to her and she nodded with her usual smile. The short hall was empty and I almost bumped into Kuwabara as I rounded the corner. He had his clothes and bath things in his arms and I bowed slightly to him. _I guess he had the same idea as Yukina. _

"Pardon me, Kuwabara." I excused myself.

"Ah, it's alright Devin, just be careful." He smiled at me and I nodded back toward the wash room.

"Yukina was finishing up when I left, I'm heading to bed." I almost smirked at his beet red face, "Goodnight."

I left him speechless in the hall and closed myself off in my room. The bin of products ended up on the floor next to the dresser. Not long after I was huddled up in my bed with the blankets up to my chin. I could feel the February chill seeping into the stagnant air of my room. Curling further into myself helped, but only slightly. _I wonder if it's snowed here yet._ I fell asleep not long after the random thought.

* * *

><p>"Wake up!" The command was loud and made me jump up so fast that I stumbled and just about fell over. Next thing I knew my wrist was in someone's hand and I was being shoved into the wash room with my bath kit. I slipped on the slick tile and scraped my arm along the wall before I crashed to the floor. The door slammed before I saw the person, my breathing was quick and my hair was mussed over my face and across my shoulders. My bath things were strewn across the floor.<p>

"Hurry and clean yourself up, we have shit to do." Was the brash comment I heard next. I stared at the door and straightened myself up before gathering my things.

"Hai, Yusuke." I sighed and got up to brush my teeth and comb my hair. My bangs fell into my eyes and my hair fell in a silky curtain behind me when I was done.

I used the toilet, washed my hands then face and applied a fresh layer of deodorant under my arms. My supplies were dumped back into my room before I was being towed back down the hall by the annoyed brunette. _Today's going to really suck, _I sulked.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Notes:<strong>

_I decided _not _to change anything about this chapter. I like it how it is. I did re-read it and check it for any spelling or grammatical errors. I didn't see any, but if you happen to, let me know and I'll always go back and fix the problem. _

_The reason I didn't change this chapter was because, well, I like it. I like the drama between the detectives and Devin, and how they all see her in a different way and treat her accordingly. So, yeah._

_On to the disclaimer!_

Devin, Morgan, Koiji, Sean and Hisato are of my creation and belong to me.

The characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho cannon belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

'Rain,' the song used in this chapter was written by Yoko Kanno and sung by The Seatbelts. I do not own it, obviously.


	4. Chapter 4: More Questions than Answers

Inside The Fire

Chapter 04:

"More Questions than Answers"

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><p>Yusuke flung me into the kitchen like I was a rag doll. My feet left the ground and I flew through the air a second before I landed on the floor in a heap on my side, my head bumping across the smooth surface.<em> Shit, that smarts. <em>I winced as I rolled onto my stomach to push myself up.

"Urameshi! There's no reason to treat her like that!" Kuwabara hollered out from somewhere to my left.

"She's lucky we didn't kill her when we found her!" he shouted back and there was a scuffle of bodies hitting one another.

I chose this moment to pull myself up and move out of the way. I stood against the counter, my hair falling in a heap over my shoulder and about my head in a mess. My shoulder was sore from hitting it with full force against the floor, I didn't bother rubbing it.

"Enough!" Genkai roared.

The two boys quit their fighting but threw dirty looks at one another. They both sat back down at the table with a huff. Kurama and Hiei were in their usual spots and a new body was at the opposite end near where I sat. Frowning, I moved over to my mat when the new person beckoned me to come forward with a wave of his hand.

The first thing that struck me as odd was his tattoo. In bold letters, the marking read 'Jr'. I took my seat and brushed my hair back so I looked a little more decent. Compared to him I looked like an emaciated couch potato. He was dressed in blue and red robes while I still wore my green and black plaid lounge pants and over sized gray t-shirt. I folded my hands in my lap once I was seated next to him and kept my eyes trained on them.

"Your name is Devin Ohayashi, correct?" His voice was smooth and held a sort of power behind it.

"Yes, that's me." I replied quietly.

"From what I was told you fell out of the sky and woke up to proclaim that you were from the year two-thousand two-hundred and sixty."

"That's right," I nodded.

"Hiei also looked through your mind to confirm your assurance that you were indeed from that time, a human and died before showing up here," he paused and I looked up into his coffee colored eyes, "what he found was to be the truth, but that does not out rule you as the enemy."

He proceeded without any comment from me, "Memories are a tricky thing. Your mind could have been wiped and your memories could have been substituted for artificial ones. You would never know the difference, and neither would Hiei's Jagan eye."

I opened my mouth to protest but he held his hand up to quiet anything I wanted to say.

"But, I have another way to test for that. You see, I am Koenma the ruler of the Spirit World, and I am here today to figure out what needs to be done with you." He pulled something out from inside his robe and I stared at it. It was a palm size box much like a voice recorder, except for the two small prongs at each corner of it's top.

"Hold out your index finger please." I followed his direction and a thin wire of blue light zapped _though _my digit. Out of reflex, I pulled my hand back in a snap and eyed the device wearily.

Though the light hadn't hurt more then a pinprick, it had surprised me. "Thank you, now we just wait a few moments."

"Okay."

"While we wait I'd like to ask if you know anything about current times?" He questioned.

"Nothing, except the music." I answered with a frown.

"Music?" He looked confused.

I nodded, "Yeah, music. In my previous life I was into the music from this time. Today's biggest hits in America make up classical music in two-thousand two-hundred and sixty."

He seemed to understand after my explanation, "Now, what do you know of Hisato?"

_ Isn't that the name of the dude they asked about the other day? _I tried to remember if it was, or if I was mistaken before I just shook my head. "I don't know him."

"Maybe this will help," he said as he sat a photo in front of me. I stared down at the man in the image. His hair was long and white and his skin was tanned. His cheekbones were high and his jaw was strong. The striking thing about him were his eyes. Indigo eyes were narrowed in an angry stare and I shut my own before pushing the picture away. He looked identical to Sean, minus the hair color. Sean was beach-blonde.

"What? You remember your master?" Yusuke sneered.

My head snapped to him and I could feel the hate pooling in my chest and making its way through my veins. I glared at him, "Shut. Your. Mouth." I seethed between clenched teeth.

Koenma chose that moment to clear his throat and I felt myself calm down by increments as the seconds ticked by, "The man in that picture is indeed Hisato. He has stolen from me recently, but even before then he has been kidnapping humans."

"Why would he do that?" I asked in ignorance.

Before Yusuke could make a remark he went on, "We aren't sure as of yet. There have been eight disappearances total."

The machine then beeped a high pitched note, and again before Koenma could pick up the device. He studied the screen that lit up with a hazy blue-white light. He read it with wide eyes a moment before glancing at me. I watched him expectantly wondering if I was going to be condemned to death or some horrible fate. _Not like my luck has been that great thus far anyway, _I added in my head.

"The machine is telling me that you are indeed a demon." He said, "The race of demon can't possibly be right though." He reached out with his free hand to grasp my chin and tilt my head up to look at him. He examined my face and I tried to not show how uncomfortable he was making me.

"You said her eye and hair color changed, was that confirmed?" He asked out into the open air, not breaking eye contact with me.

"According to her memories, yes." Kurama spoke up.

He frowned in concentration and let go of my head. I sat back and rubbed my cheek, eying the prince wearily, "What's going on?" I asked wanting answers.

My question was ignored, "Hiei, I need you to focus on her chest, can you tell me if you can find anything out of the ordinary?" My cheeks flushed and I fought the urge to scramble out of the room.

"Hn," Hiei answered. His eyes closed momentarily. When his eyes opened he pointed to the middle of my chest. "There's a gem," he explained and I raised an eyebrow, _What's a stone doing in my chest?_

Koenma nodded and I looked back to him, "Then it is true."

I rubbed my forehead feeling exasperated and exhausted, these people were giving me the run around. "What are you _talking _about?" My voice was more tired then I thought it would have been.

"It seems that you are a very rare sort of demon, we just confirmed it by finding the jewel in your chest." Koenma explained.

Not like any of that made anything clearer for me, "Meaning?"

"I'll explain," he sighed, "you are a Hōseki demon. They are unique for the reason that they produce and house a jewel in their bodies. I'll tell you more about that later. The Hōseki are rare because most have been killed for said gem, they are highly valuable, even more so then the hiruseki stone. They come into their powers late in life, most usually staying dormant until they're around three hundred years to five hundred years old."

He paused a moment in thought and we were all silent, "With their powers blooming late, they were very much like humans. The leader of the tribe at the time asked for relocation into human world and my father granted it, but they had to return once their powers were awoken. Hunters still went after them, demon and human alike. They were slaughtered and their stones were sold for trillions on the black market. I assumed they were extinct, you could very well be the last one."

"Yeah, that's wonderful and all, but if she's so rare why would Hisato throw her out?" Yusuke griped.

"It's very unlikely that he would have been using her, Yusuke." Koenma replied.

"What do you mean?" He barked.

"Think about it," he turned to look at the brunette, "she's a Hōseki demon. They come into their powers late and she would have been living in the human world if she was from this time. Meaning, she wouldn't have fallen out of a sky portal into human world. That displaces the theory of her being thrown away. And with her powers the way they are, she's useless. The machine I just used to check her told me everything from her race to her weight. She really is nineteen years old, which is way too young for her to be using her powers."

I tried to ignore the blow to my pride at being called useless when Genkai spoke up, "The only other theory left is her own, that she really did die and fall back into the past. But how would it have happened?"

"Time exists on many different levels," he started, "while we're in this present time, there are millions of different tangents our time-line could break off into just by a simple change of movement, idea, or question. Everything changes something for our future. Devin being shot in her time could have been what was meant for her, or it might not have been, we'll never know. Though, it could have been what brought her to us. Also, something from _this _time could have changed to bring her back to this moment. We can never be sure, but it does make the most sense. It isn't every day you come across something as peculiar as her."

"That doesn't explain why her aura is awake though. She may be young, but her demon energy is definitely there and growing." Kuwabara added.

"It does explain it, in a way," Kurama answered his friend. "If she was a human in her time, and turned to a demon when she was pulled back, it could have overwritten the time gap most need to gain their strength."

Koenma nodded, "That's the most likely cause."

"So what do we do with her?" Yusuke asked.

Koenma frowned, "Spirit World intelligence knows little to nothing about what Hōseki demons can do. Hisato may end up wanting her if he catches wind of her appearance. Our best bet is for her to remain here and be taught how to control her energy. It's wise to be prepared if she does turn out to be strong."

I looked up into his coffee eyes and he smiled warmly at me, "What do you say Devin, think you'll be alright with that?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Good, in the mean time I'll have Ogre look up anything that can help you with information about her. I'll also send Botan to help get her set up here." Koenma directed this to Genkai as he stood to leave, she just grumbled out a reply.

* * *

><p>After many apologies for Yusuke from Kuwabara, I was back in my room. My futon was folded in my arms along with the blanket as I went to put them away. I was just shoving the two into the shelf space when there was a knock on my door.<p>

"One second!" I called as I gave one final shove and closed the door.

When I opened the door that had been banged on, I was immediately surprised by a new girl. Her long blue hair was in a high pony tail and her eyes were a soft peony pink. Her smile was large and she waved with her other hand held behind her back.

"Hello, Devin! I'm Botan and I'll be taking you shopping today." She said in, was that a _British_ accent? I blinked in confusion for a moment before snapping out of it.

"Oh, hello. Nice to meet you." I managed to get out before she pulled around her other hand which was crowded with a stack of clothing.

"Here, I brought you these so we could go out into town. Get dressed and hurry back to the kitchen." She shoved the clothes into my arms and I shut the door when she skipped away.

The clothing was dumped onto the vanity and sorted. She had even brought me shoes. My current clothing made its way onto the floor and I dressed in the undergarments first. Finally having panties was nice, I had gone commando the past few days and it wasn't very comforting. In my own home I wouldn't have cared, but in a house full of unfamiliar men it was just too much.

The bra actually fit me and I was glad. The soft material of the bra didn't pinch or leave me hanging out of the cup. Next I danced into the dark skinny jeans I was given and pulled the white long sleeve over my head. My hair had to pulled from underneath the collar and I brushed it out with my comb to remove any tangles.

The shoes were simple white tennis sneakers and they also fit me. I tied them and walked out to the kitchen. _Now if I turn here I should be there, right?_ I thought as I moved around the bend. I had indeed made my way to the familiar room. _Not bad for never paying attention_. I almost smiled, but kept it hidden as I stood against the counter.

"Perfect! It all fit, right?" Botan had jumped up and took to examining me.

"Yes, it's fine. Thank you." I bowed slightly to her and she giggled.

"Good, now, I have a cab waiting for us at the closest public road." She turned back to the table, "Ready to go, Kurama?"

Said red-head stood and smiled at her, "Of course. Let's get going."

I followed them out of the temple and groaned when I saw all of the steps, I didn't know this place was so big. Luckily, there was no snow or ice on the steps to slip on and we made our way through the woods at the bottom of them. A beaten path marked our way back to civilization. I stared up and around the trees in hidden glee. They were all mostly bare except for the evergreens, and they stood high over our heads. _It's beautiful out here. _I thought as I took everything in.

As promised, the cab was parked at the side of the road near where our path let out. Kurama opened the door for Botan and I before climbing in on the other side. The blue haired beauty gave the man directions and we were off. We passed other cars and Botan chatted to us while we rode down the road.

"We're going to the Sukiya shopping center. It's the closest mall to Genkai's." She explained.

The rest of the ride passed by with the other two chatting while I stared out the window. The world was zipping by in an array of grays and greens, then more colors mixed in when we were out of the country and in the city.

It was about fifteen minutes until we pulled to a stop in front of an oversized building. Botan paid the man and we filed out and inside out of the cold. I looked around at the bright neon signs in wonder. I didn't have much time to gander at all of the people before Botan locked my arm with hers and pulled me off toward one of the shops. She handed me a hand basket and pulled me down an isle of totalities and hair supplies.

"Okay, let's see, with that hair you'd probably look good with-" She trailed off in thought and Kurama was right behind us. I looked at the wall behind her at the hair brushes and different clips. I picked up a black brush from one of the shelves and examined it, my thumb moving over the rubber bristles. I dropped it in the basket and grabbed a few packs of plain black hair bands.

"Here you go." She dropped the make up in the bag and I stared at it all, I didn't usually wear anything more then the occasional eyeliner and concealer.

"Am I that bad to look at?" I joked.

"Of course not!" Botan beamed at me and waving her hands to shoo off the thought.

The perky woman pulled me around the rest of the store until I had a few bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and then I still had my brush and hair ties. I also still had the mass of make up in my bag, not wanting to turn Botan down and make her feel bad. I paused at the display of Tampons and went to grab a box when Kurama stopped me.

"Demons don't usually go through the same menstrual cycle as humans, I doubt you will be needing those." He smiled a little at my wide eyes and red face.

My mouth formed an 'o' and I quickly trotted off after the blue haired girl.

* * *

><p><em> This is ridiculous. <em>I frowned as I stared at Botan's back. She had my arms filled with all sorts of clothes. Jeans, sweat pants, slacks, shorts, yoga pants, and the materials ranged from denim to cotton. I'm also sad to inform you this was the pile I had already tried on as well. We were standing in the check out line waiting for our turn. When it finally came and the elderly woman ahead of us was done, I dumped my arm load onto the counter with a sigh. I rubbed my sore wrist and stood back as the price scrolled over the front of the machine.

My eyes went wide when the total passed something close to three hundred American dollars, "You really don't have to get me so much, Botan." I rested my hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, us ferry girls get to do this every once in awhile. It's fun buying someone else clothes for once." She smiled at me.

"Ferry girl?" I questioned, if the cashier had heard us I'll never know. She didn't make any indication that she was listening to us as she folded the pants.

"She's the grim reaper basically." Kurama whispered quietly in my ear and I nodded, it made sense that women did the job based off what I felt when I passed on.

"That will be twenty-five thousand yen altogether, Miss." The young cashier said with a smile. I'd be smiling too if I had her job with a commissioners salary while Botan shopped.

Botan swiped her credit card and I took the bags, Kurama took them from me with a smile and I sighed. He had become more friendly after our meeting with Koenma. Though I still caught him giving me odd stares now and then. Progress is progress, right? Right.

I moved away from the creepy fox and caught up to Botan who was speed walking to a boutique filled with frilly dresses and expensive tops. Groaning, I bowed my head and wandered in after her. She was pulling down several dresses, some pink, others white, but when she went to grab a long yellow gown of sorts, I had to intervene.

"Nothing yellow, ever." I said holding her wrist and giving her a little push in the other direction.

"But Devin, it would look so cute on you!" She whined.

I sighed and continued to move her to the opposite side of the room, "I appreciate all of this, but I'm really not a dress person Botan. I'm happy with jeans and t-shirts."

She stood firm on her buying me two dresses, and I caved. I mean, she was the one buying me all the stuff. Not long after my little intervention, I was being pushed into a cramped dressing room with five lacy and puffy dresses. The first I managed to slip into made me look like I worked in a cosplay cafe. Botan gasped when I stepped back out for her to see, and I grimaced.

"This is really unnecessary, Botan."

"This pearl white brings out your features so well though!" She pouted.

The skirt ended above my knee with a mass amount of mesh material under the fancy lace. The chest piece had delicate stitching and it came up to a tight collar that fit snugly against my skin. The shoulders were puffy and made my skin itch.

"I could imagine you holding a parasol with that outfit, Devin-san." Kurama added.

I flushed and looked away, and I could hear a bubble of laughter rise from him. He seemed to enjoy egging the ferry girl on. Botan had already ran off to get one from somewhere in the store. I took the opportunity to get out of the dress and had it in my arms just as Botan showed up with the white lace umbrella in her hands.

"Oh, I wanted to see you with it!" She frowned.

I sighed, "Can I pick one I like if I get this one?"

Blue swished everywhere crazily when she nodded and I handed her the dress again. There had to be something not so lacy in this store somewhere. A simple black dress caught my eye, it was trimmed to fit the body, but not in a skin tight way that was distasteful. From around the knee it fanned out and gave the wearer room to walk. The silhouette was A-line, and I found my size quickly and handed it to the blue-nette without trying it on.

"You sure?" She questioned at the check out counter.

I nodded, "Positive."

* * *

><p>The cab had left us off at the same path from where we had emerged earlier that day. The trunk popped open and I snatched up my bags. They crowded my arms and threatened to topple me over but I kept out of Kurama's reach. I wasn't incapable of carrying my own things.<p>

Though, when it came time to climb up the large set of stairs, I regretted my decision. I tripped twice before readjusting my arms and jogging up the steps. When I reached the top I didn't stop for rest and made my way into the temple by kicking open a few of the doors. _Please don't fall, please don't fall. _I chanted to myself when I kicked off my shoes and stomped down toward where the kitchen was.

When I walked through I got many odd looks and just hurried past them. I was out of the room before Yukina could say hello to me and I reminded myself to greet her properly later. Finally I was at the hall that housed the bedrooms of some of the temple occupants, this included me. I scurried past a few empty rooms before dropping everything at my closed door.

I breathed in a deep gulp of air and opened the door. The bags slid into the space when I pushed them with my sock-clad feet. I really wasn't a fan of shopping for clothing and frowned at the pile of bags. Leaving my door open, I rolled up my sleeves and took out the package of coat hangers I had picked out. The plain white plastic contraptions found their way on top of my keyboard and I hung up the dresses on the rack on the inside of the closet door.

The rest of the clothing had the tags removed and was placed in the dresser. Each type of clothing had its own drawer and I filled them all to the brim. I was glad to finally have things that were mine and wouldn't have to worry about using anyone's borrowed clothes anymore. I was moving my shoes into the closet on the empty shelf under the blankets when I felt a presence.

Closing the door, I saw Hiei in my doorway watching me. I raised an eyebrow at him and moved over to the last bag. _He's the one I argued with that first day._ I remembered. _He's also the one who saw into my mind. _I glanced back again and he was glaring at me. I stopped mid-placement of a bottle of perfume on my vanity before finally setting it down.

"Do you need something?" I asked.

"Hn," he scoffed and was gone with a swish of his cloak.

_ Strange guy, _I shrugged and went back to setting my things around the room. My brush ended up on top of my dresser with my hair bands. The sweat pea scented body wash and other toiletries ended up in my new bath bin. Botan had insisted I get one that matched my hair, so it was purple. I shook my head remembering her antics throughout our mall trip.

* * *

><p>My room was rearranged, my clothes were changed into ones that were my own and my hair was up off my shoulders. Feeling better then I had since I arrived here, I walked in long – that really weren't very long considering I was only five foot two – strides. Botan smiled at me when she saw me and I handed her back her clothing and shoes. I held my own under my arm along with the old bath basket and greeted Yukina with a small smile.<p>

"You look nice Devin." She complimented.

I instinctively looked down at my plain navy long-sleeve shirt and light blue skinny jeans, "Thank you, I'm glad to be wearing something that fits me. Here's your bin, I appreciate you letting me use it."

She took it with petite hands and sat it on the floor next to her, "It was no trouble."

Genkai cleared her throat loudly and stood. She was out of the room when I heard her yell for me, "Well, girl, are you coming or not?"

I trotted out of the room, my long waist length hair thumping against my back as I moved. The old woman sat outside in the cold on her front porch and I stood next to her, immediately wishing I had brought a jacket. My new white tennis shoes slipped on over my socks and fell into place when I tapped the toe on the wood deck.

"Now listen up, you'll be going through training to unleash and control your demon energy. But before we can do that we have to make sure you wont break or keel over and die on us before we can get anything through to you." She huffed.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"You'll be running laps around the temple to build up your stamina. I want five laps out of you along this loop," she handed me a small map to study and pointed out the landmarks on the piece of paper.

I memorized it's shape and listened to her details as she continued, "After your five laps you will be coming back here to do one hundred reps of sit-ups and push-ups, understand?"

"Yes," I nodded at her and moved down the steps onto the cobblestone.

"Stretch before you go so you don't hurt yourself like a dumbass," she crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl, "when you're ready to go Hiei will be accompanying you so nothing attacks you."

I stopped mid-lunge and gave her a confused look, because I was. "Attack me?"

"What are you a parrot? Yes, attack you. There are things living in these woods that would find you a delicious snack." I felt myself go pale.

"Alright, thanks." I sighed and cracked my neck.

When Genkai saw me standing there awkwardly still she yelled at me, "What are you waiting for, get going slacker!"

I jumped a little and jogged off away from her, trying to remember how the map had been marked out. I could hear something moving in the trees around me and I did my best to ignore it. Concentrating on my breathing instead, I took the first turn and jogged along the dirt path at a steady pace. Physical exercise had never been my 'thing'. My ankles had a tendency of twisting without my knowledge or spraining extra easily. So far I hadn't experienced any pain.

A black blur moved over my head and I sped up, _Wasn't Hiei supposed to be out here with me? _I wondered glancing around. When something dropped down next to me, I veered to the side and skidded in the gravel, almost losing my balance.

"Shit!" I hunched over and held a hand over my...heart? My eyes widened when I couldn't feel a heart beat.

Hiei on the other hand did not look amused. He stood there in the spot he had dropped down to and glared at me. "What is it, baka onna?" he spat.

"My heart isn't beating." I said trying to not panic. _The heck, am I the living dead now? _My thoughts raced.

The red eyed demon rolled his eyes, "Demons do not have heart beats, they have cores, what you're experiencing is normal."

I sighed in relief and let my hand drop. Quickly, I realized how cold it really was out here and I started jogging in place. "Sorry, I'll get back to running, and thanks." I said a little awkwardly as I started off again.

I didn't bother watching to see if he replied as I got back on course. The path Genkai had put me on was basically a loop. There were no odd turns or weird paths through heavily covered areas. When I passed Genkai on the porch she shook her head at me.

"You're slow! Pick up the pace, kid!" She yelled at me.

"Okay, okay!" I yelled back and my shoes pounded the earth harder.

Running, really, _really _wasn't my thing. The back straightaway was where I was located when I got a stitch in my side. I threaded my fingers and raised my arms over my head as I slowed. The cold air made my throat thick and I coughed. I stopped and coughed a few more as I hunched over. Finally feeling relief, I jogged around the last bend and decided I just needed to get it over with. When I passed Genkai I kicked myself into a sprint. I slid around the first corner and my feet slammed the gravel on the back stretch.

My lungs pulled in frigid air as I panted and bolted around the next corner. I could see the front of the temple coming into view and I stopped in front of the old woman. I took a minute to pull air into my burning lungs and she pointed at the ground expectantly. This is when I remembered that I had more to do. With a sigh I dropped to the ground and worked on my sit-ups.

Fifty reps later I was on my hands and knees doing push-ups. My arms were shaking and I had to restart a few times until I was in the proper position. I struggled to hold my thin body up and I realized how out of shape I really was. Soaked with sweat and my teeth clenched, I lowered myself and back up, I could feel myself wanting to slip down onto the ground and just give up.

Knowing that I would just have to restart from the beginning if I did so, I kept going. Slow as I was, I was going to get this done and go take a shower. With my mind focused on that, I moved back down, then up. _Thirty-seven, _I counted in my head. Oh yes, this was going to take a while, indeed.

* * *

><p>Two hundred reps of exercises later, I was exhausted. Sweat soaked my clothes and dirt smudged my jeans in various places. My hair clung to my forehead as I sat at the dinner table. I wasn't entirely sure on what was served, but I ate my bowl of rice and some sort of sauteed shrimp with an odd sauce. Yukina had engaged me in conversation a few times, but when I finished my tea I excused myself.<p>

The walk to my room was a slow one. The halls were dark and I staggered along without much thought. My fingers ran along the wall until I felt like I was at the right door. When I went to open it though, I came face to face with a shirtless fire demon. I flushed and look away with a mumble of, "Wrong room."

After that I shuffled quickly to the next door and threw myself inside. My bath kit was close to the door and I grabbed it and a pair of pajamas. My walk to the washroom was rushed and I locked the door behind me before leaning against it. _I should __paid more attention to which door I was at, clumsy me__. _I sighed.

Peeling the dirty clothes from my sore body, I scrunched my nose and kicked off my jeans. My hair tie came out from my hair with a tug and I maneuvered myself over to the soaking tub. I filled the large container with steaming hot water and went back to the bath stool to wash myself off. Feeling the grime leave my body was relaxing as I lathered myself up with the new sweet smelling soap.

When I was fully shaved and well rinsed of any and all soap, I let myself slide into the soaking tub. A low hiss slipped past my teeth as I let the hot water lap at my aching muscles. Once fully seated in the tub, I relaxed my head back against the padded rim. My thoughts wandered easily as I always found a soothing bath the best place to think.

_ So, I'm a demon now, _I lifted my palms up from the water and examined them. _I don't feel any different, besides the whole not having a heartbeat thing, _letting my hands drop I looked up into the steam as it coiled and swirled up toward the ceiling. _I'm officially in the past as well, and so much is different here. _I smiled a little, _Morgan would flip to know this was possible, she never believed in time travel or anything 'nerdy' like that._

Slipping down into the water, I sunk to the bottom and laid on the floor of the tub. My lungs stilled and I relaxed. Slowly air leaked from my parted lips and bubbled up to the surface. I could faintly hear a banging sound from somewhere. It echoed through the water and sounded muffled by the fluid. I pushed off the bottom of the pool and broke the surface, the banging continued.

"Hey, Devin, you okay in there or what?"

"I'm fine Kuwabara, just about to get out of the tub."

"Oh, alright, just making sure you didn't fall asleep in there or something."

"Thanks."

Heavy footsteps signaled his departure and I pulled the chain that secured the plug. The water began to spiral down through the piping and I climbed out. Water clung to my body and I twisted my hair to wring out any excess, my thoughts wandered over what Koenma had discussed with me this morning. Supposedly, I was one of the last remaining Hōseki demons. _They don't even really know anything about me. _I frowned, _I'm still Devin, just because I'm not a human doesn't mean I'm not me anymore. _

The heels of my hands pushed against my eyelids as my thoughts faded. My skin felt flushed and the sensation left as soon as it came. My head pounded behind my left eye in a headache and I groaned. Just trying to make sense of everything made me feel overwhelmed (more so than any college exam ever did.) I let my hands drop from my face to get dressed. Plain black pajama pants and a gray spaghetti strap shirt was all I wore, and underwear of course. I did my daily routine of brushing my hair, teeth and such before grabbing my new bin and leaving the wash room. While I was walking back, Kurama was passing me with his own things and he smiled politely at me. I nodded to him and hid myself in my room.

* * *

><p>The futon wasn't as comforting on this night, for what reason, I don't know. Sighing for the umpteenth time, I flipped over on my side and got up. The blanket was strewn across the floor and I moved to the vanity to pull the lamp cord. The light burned like a beacon in the dark room and I went back across the room to the dresser. The bottom drawer opened with a yank, the contents consisted of a variety of hooded zip-up jackets and pull-overs. I grabbed the first one I saw and kicked the drawer shut with my heel.<p>

Black cotton blended material hung somewhat loose on my frame when I had the sweater zipped up. The sleeves passed my wrists and my fingertips barely showed at the ends, even the bottom of the thing hung past my hips a few inches. I left the hood down and kept my arms crossed over my chest as I wandered through the temple. When I came into the kitchen I found the cleaned tea pot sitting on the stove top and I pondered what I even wanted before I started opening cabinets in a hunt.

The higher cabinets weren't too difficult for me to reach, but they were up there. This is where I finally found my main goal: hot cocoa mix. I smirked when it finally showed itself and stood on my tippy-toes to grab one of the packets from the box. Setting my prize on the counter, I filled the teapot and started one of the four burners on the stove. _Now I just need a mug, _I looked around carefully, trying to think of where they would be exactly.

It didn't take too long to find the glasses and mugs that were nestled in a side cabinet. I picked up the large black cup and dumped my cocoa powder into it, a plume of chocolate dust floated up when I tapped the packet and I moved away from it instinctively. I've had a good share of drink powders end up my nose one way or another, this did not need to be one of those times. Watching the kettle, I saw steam begin to rise from the spout when a soft whistling began to ring. The pitch and volume grew and I shut off the burner and took the kettle by it's hard plastic handle. The temperature of the grip area was far worse then I had originally expected. I rushed the container onto the counter, hot water splashed around and onto my wrist in the process.

A sharp hiss passed my teeth and I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt quickly. _I'm too accident prone for my own good, _I frowned and hit the tap for cold water before passing my burn under the faucet. Leaning on the counter, I watched as my skin reddened and swelled. When I shut off the water and dabbed my skin dry with the nearby dish towel, I sighed. The spot was tender and the sensation of anything touching it made it ache and itch all at once.

_ Great, _I pulled my sleeve back down and went back to the kettle. The handle was cooler and I picked it up carefully, the water turned my powder into murky brown water that evened out into hot chocolate after I stirred it. Sipping at my cup, I moved out through the kitchen and to the front porch. The night air was crisp and frigid. The space before the top step became my seat and I crossed my legs under myself, wishing that I had more footwear on then just socks.

The hot drink warmed my body from the inside out and I held it between my hands as I looked up at the night sky. There were no street lights or skyscrapers to clash with the stars. The small beams of light had a comforting feeling as they mixed with the moonlight. The waning moon was pale and shining, casting small shadows over the surrounding foliage.

Another sip of my cocoa, another thought. _Why me? _I continued my starring contest with the twinkling stars. _Why of all people would I_ _be brought back? Was this really my fate, to die and become someone new? _My grip on my cup tightened, _Can I handle it? _

The headache threatening to start told me no, I wasn't ready. The pain taunted me, 'How would _you_ be able to handle this new life if _you_ couldn't take care of _yourself_ in _your_ old one?' it questioned.

Somewhere, my subconscious whispered back to it, unsure, '_I don't know_.'

* * *

><p>Morning was fast approaching, yet I was still on the porch in the same spot, starring at the sky. Light footfalls could be heard above me, and I vaguely wondered who could be on the roof. When I caught sight of cherry red eyes as he dropped from the roof, I knew it was Hiei. His cloak swirled around him as he landed on the cobblestone.<p>

"Ohayou," I said softly, not looking at him. My gaze had already moved back to the purplish sky.

Hiei said nothing and when he hadn't left yet, I looked at him. He was studying me with narrowed eyes and his seemingly constant frown. This is when I noticed something I hadn't before. His hair, which I had originally categorized as black, was not. Under the gentle light of the moon I could see the shine of deep blues. My head tilted in study as I concentrated on the colors that could be seen in the dim light. Soft wisps of white ran through his spiked hair around his forehead and temples, and I looked away at long last.

"You're supposed to be inside." He said after a second, the sentence sounded more like a command then a statement.

"I know." I didn't look back at him.

"I could kill you for disobeying," the comment sounded offhand and uncaring, because it was.

"Yeah, you could." I agreed in an even tone.

I heard a faint growl and looked back at him. Hiei was glaring at me threateningly, his posture portraying the sour mood he was in, "Then you must be incredibly stupid, or want to die."

I shook my head and stood, my arms stretching over my head with my empty cup clenched in my right hand, "I just wanted fresh air, no need to get worked up."

He 'hn'd' and was gone in a blur of black, I wandered back into the kitchen to put my cup back and go change. Everyone else would be up soon and I had a feeling Genkai would be expecting me to be ready to do some work.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Notes:<strong>

_I only changed a few things in this chapter. __So far I'm not sure what I'm going to do after chapter seven. I can't remember any idea I had for this story, but I know I'll end up with some sort of weird idea eventually. _

_I had originally planned on completely re-vamping this whole story, but I sort of like it how it is. It just needed some story and plot fixes. And Hiei's ooc-ness, of course. _

_I'm still going to swap it around, don't get me wrong. I am working on making fixes. But I just can't find any that need to be made yet. Chapter one was my main problem, so far. Now I'm sort of just tidy-ing up as I go along. The next few chapters most likely will be re-written in total. I think?_

_Finally, I'd like to say one thing. I do always reply to my reviews personally and they help me know if I'm working in the right direction. So, instead of begging for reviews like some authors, I'm going to just encourage you to review, and this will probably be the only time I will. They help me know what I need to work on and what I may be doing wrong or what you want to see more of, even, so feel free to leave me one._

_Mkay, that's the end of my little speech._

_See you, Space Cowboy._

Devin, Morgan, Sean and Hisato are of my creation and belong to me.

The characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho cannon belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.


	5. Chapter 5: Turbulence

Inside The Fire

Chapter 05:

"Turbulence"

* * *

><p>When I returned to the kitchen in black sweat pants, a white t-shirt and the same black jacket Yukina smiled at me. I nodded back and helped her place around the breakfast foods, Genkai showed up not long after. I was already back in my seat when the rest of the house occupants came to the kitchen. Hiei was absent from the meal and I ate quietly, effectively ignoring Yusuke and the random chatter. Placing my dishes in the sink, I let myself outside to start on my laps.<p>

I pulled on my white tennis shoes that were still looking fresh and new. Stretching on my way down the steps and on the cobblestone walkway kept my mind off the cold, damp air. I sighed and watched my breath swirl through the air. Kicking off, I started around my set track at a decent pace. The birds above me in the trees were chirping happily as I jogged around.

On the second lap I ran a little faster than the first. I focused on my breathing,_ in through the nose, _I breathed in, _out through the mouth, _the action followed the thought. On the third lap I sped up a little more. My breathing pattern remained and I listened as my feat drummed on the earth in a steady beat. This continued to the fifth, and by that time I was panting and stretching to relive the cramp in my side. I tugged at my collar as I took a breather on the stone walkway. Genkai was sitting on the porch nursing her cup of tea.

_ Might as well switch it up today, _I dropped down onto the cold clammy ground and balanced myself on my toes and palms. My arms shook and my sore muscles from the previous day ached. I glared at the ground under me and lowered myself carefully then let myself back up, _One. _This continued for fifty reps, then I switched to my sit ups, and back again until all two hundred were complete.

Laying there on the ground, I could feel the dampness of the ground seeping into my clothes. _This sucks, _I pushed myself up and stood, swaying slightly when my knees shook under me.

"Alright kid, repeat the process for the rest of the day," Genkai said as she stood.

My mouth dropped open and I quickly shut it, my eyes closed and I rubbed my forehead. _I stand corrected, _I thought bitterly, this _sucks._

* * *

><p>I'm not sure how many rounds of this Nazi workout I've done, but I was tired. I assumed it to be around noon, the gray sky hid the sun, but thin beams of light would peak through now and then from over my head. The odd assortment of light left abstract shadows on my path as I ran. <em>I need water, <em>I thought tiredly_. _My breath came in short gasps and I almost fell on my face when my shoe caught on the ground.

Running my tongue over my chapped lips did little to help them as I jogged back to the front porch. Relief flooded me when Kuwabara was standing there with a plastic cup filled with something. He came down the steps and held out the container to me. I took it hurriedly without a sound and chugged the liquid, it was room temperature and burned my dry throat.

I wiped my chin on my sleeve and coughed, "You alright?" Kuwabara asked, looking worried.

I nodded wordlessly as I handed him the cup, my lungs shuddering with the strain of breathing, I coughed again.

I waved him off as I stumbled away, "Yeah," I croaked, my vice breaking.

"Maybe you should take a break," he moved toward me again and I stayed out of his reach.

I cleared my throat and shook my head, "No, I'm fine." My voice sounded smoother and I dropped onto the ground to start my sit ups.

"Just be careful," he said wearily before walking inside.

When I sat up on my first sit up, I felt a little dizzy. My mind fuzzed over and I laid back, my eyes closed. I laid there like that for awhile, the cold seeping into my overheated skin. My hair was damp with sweat and clung to the back of my neck. I could have fallen asleep in this spot, it felt so nice. And then:

"Hn, seems you're a lot weaker then what Koenma assumed; pathetic."

My eyes fluttered open, I could see the black spot that was Hiei, high above me in a tree. I closed my eyes again, doing my best to refrain from lashing out at the smug demon.

"Are you always this friendly?"

Silence. I opened my eyes again and saw him glaring heatedly down at me. I watched him carefully before sighing and getting back to work. My stomach muscles burned and my lungs ached. I pulled myself up again, "Two."

I grit my teeth, my hair whipped around my shoulder and back as I moved, "Three."

This went on until I was done, then I went back to jogging. I tried to keep Hiei's words out of my mind as I pushed my body past it's limits. Time and time again I stopped for air, or tripped. Each time I had to pull myself back up and keep going and each time was harder then the last. _Pathetic. _The word rung against the inside of my skull and I clenched my teeth and moved forward. I'll be damned if the solitary word got the best of me. Yeah, maybe I was pathetic when it came to athletic ability, but I didn't plan to always be that way.

* * *

><p>When Genkai came out and announced that I was done for the day, I could have cried in joy. I pulled myself from the ground and staggered into the house. I passed through the kitchen slowly and peeled my jacket off as I passed Yukina setting up for supper. She greeted me as usual and I waved to her, my sore throat unable to force out any words. My jacket drug over the floor, my fingertips clutching it, but barely. I could feel it slipping from my hands when I stopped at my door.<p>

At that moment Yusuke passed me down the hall. He took in my appearance and scowled before turning away and disappearing down the hall. I ignored the exchange and grabbed my already set up bath stuffs. Making my way down the hall to the wash room, I stowed away in the cool room and locked the door. The first thing I did was relieve myself.

_All that running and water Kuwabara brought out to me during the day, then the old woman doesn't even let me go pee. She's crazy, absolutely crazy._ I stripped off the rest of the dirtied clothing and filled the soaking tub. Sitting on the bath stool, I covered my chilled body with warm water and scrubbed the grime from my body. I examined my legs through clear eyes. My mind feeling energized from being warm again. Usually stubble would have started by now, but there was none. I frowned and ran my hand down my other leg, it was the same way.

I thought back on Kurama's words, about how demon females didn't really experience a menstrual cycle. Almost smiling at the relieving thought, I pondered the situation at hand. If that was the case, did they not grow hair over their bodies like normal human females? _That would be helpful, too. I'll have to ask him or Yukina sometime. _I pulled my rinsed body up from the seat and walked to the soaking tub. Sitting on the edge, I swung my legs over the high side like usual. I waded into the waist high water and lowered myself into it.

The steaming water eased my aching bones and sore skin. The flesh reddened to finally look a bit healthier, unlike the pasty pale color I had been when I came in from the cold. The heat stung my face and I breathed deeply when I broke the surface. I relaxed in the hot water until it turned lukewarm, my thoughts fuzzy and random as I pulled myself from the large porcelain pool.

Red eyes passed through my mind and I frowned. _I let him bother me, but why? _I shook my head and rubbed my hair with the large towel. _I wonder if we'll ever get along, _then I thought of Yusuke, _same thing with him too. _I sighed and let my damp hair rest against my back. I brushed my teeth and dressed in gray pajama pants and a white tank top. My stomach gurgled obnoxiously and I looked down at it, _Time for dinner, _I smirked a little and left the room to put my things away and head to the kitchen.

I walked in when everyone was halfway through their meal. Ignoring the few looks I received I plopped down on my mat. Sipping my tea before gabbing some beef from a plate and popping it in my mouth, my eyes widened. I chewed quickly and followed it with rice. I hadn't realized how _hungry _ I truly was until I had a taste of Yukina's cooking. The previously mentioned foods were eaten in mass along with some sort of sushi rolls.

I caught sight of Yukina's kind smile and I wiggled my fingers at her in a form of a wave as I sipped the remainder of my tea.

"How was your day, Devin?" She politely tried to add me into the conversation.

"Tiring," I answered, "the bath made me feel good as new though. Thank you for asking."

She nodded and I sat the cup down, "How was your day?" I asked her back before I could seem rude and uncaring.

She spoke in detail about how she took inventory of the jars of preserves and how she was hoping the weather cleared up soon. She even talked about her flowers, rare Makai flowers that enjoyed the cold. I listened to her details quietly with a few single word replies here and there and a few nods. She seemed to take pleasure in such simple things, it was heartwarming to hear.

At long last I said: "I'm glad you had a nice day, it sounds like you enjoyed yourself."

She thanked me in her quiet way and before anyone else could start up any conversation with me, I went to bed.

Tucked away in my blanket, I slept peacefully, for a few hours at least. Before the sun was up once again, I was awake and ready to start the day. Vaguely, I wondered how I wasn't so tired. But I shrugged it off, like many other things in my life thus far.

* * *

><p>"Slacker, move your ass!" Genkai roared at me.<p>

"Ack!" I scrambled up from my lying position on the ground and ran off into the woods.

_I can't even stop to catch my breath with the old lady out here, and if I stop back here she'll know. _The steady pounding of my feet over the packed earth eased my mind. The frustration that plagued me rippled away in the harsh wind. I passed Genkai and Kuwabara jumped from the porch to run with me. He appeared at my side and grinned slyly at me. He passed me easily and I frowned.

Being the stubborn fool that I am, sped up and caught up with him again. He easily moved ahead of me again and I glared at the space between his covered shoulder blades. I lengthened my stride and grasped outward as my arms swayed. My body propelled ahead of his as I forced myself to pass him at the turn. Running past Genkai and Hiei who were sitting on the front porch, I could hear Kuwabara hot on my heels. On the next corner he passed me again and I fought for the lead.

The large man held his lead over me and I kept right behind him for the next lap. When we passed Genkai she yelled at us, "The next lap is the final one, if you don't beat Kuwabara you'll be stuck doing double time on all your reps tomorrow!"

Growling irritatedly I tried to pass him. He pulled further out ahead of me and as we ended the back straight away, I put out a burst of energy. My legs pushed myself around and past the human and I rounded the corner with my arms cutting through the air and my face red from being whipped by the wind. I slammed over the stone walkway and slowed once I was past the starting mark. I leaned forward to catch my breath. My opponent came up and smacked me on the back. Adding to my irritation, I noticed when I erected myself, that he wasn't even breathing hard.

"Good job, Devin," he grinned at me and I sighed.

"Thanks. Can we go in now? I'm freezing." To add emphasis to that statement, my bottom lip trembled as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, it's nasty out here today." He looked up to the darkening sky.

"Tell me about it." I replied as we both headed back to the main door.

* * *

><p>My shower had been done as soon as I came inside. Dinner had been eaten, and I was back in my room. Sleep all but evaded me as I stared up at the hidden ceiling. Sighing, I stood from my bed and turned on my lamp. The light coated the room in illumination and shadows alike. I picked up one of my many hooded jackets and slipped it over my head. The dark red of the pull-over clashed with my leopard print pajama pants and I didn't care. I dropped down behind the keyboard and turned it on.<p>

Scales were easy to remember, so were children songs such as 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Both were played by nimble fingers. I stopped to push up my sleeves, the cuffs clung to my forearms and I rested back at the piano. A soft smile played on my lips, "_I close my eyes and I keep seeing things, rainbow waterfalls, sunny liquid dreams." _A shuddering breath filled my lungs, "_Confusion creeps inside me raining doubt, gotta get to you, but I don't know how._"

"_Call me call me, let me know it's alright,_" my voice was moderate and shaking ever so slightly. Emotion gripped at my throat and climbed toward my eyes. I fought back against the sadness I felt and frowned. I was never the greatest singer, my voice was a low alto and hardly strong enough to even notice. But, I had a thing for soulful jazz style music. The rough quality came easily to me from practicing with my mother for so many years. Her voice was always lovely and she could break anyone down with the sad, yet beautiful, music. "_Call me call me, don't you think it's 'bout time? Please won't you call and, ease my mind, reasons for me to find you, peace of mind, what can I do, to get me to you?_" The song had originally been one I learned on my own.

Memories of singing the song to Morgan appeared behind my eyes, and I failed to hear my bedroom door open and close. My fingers moved over the keys with practiced ease, I opened my eyes to see Hiei standing against the back wall with his arms crossed over his chest, his ankles crossed to match. A perfect picture of relaxation. My eyes widened and I missed my Que to come back in with the vocals. He never even flinched and I just ignored his presence as I glanced back down at the keyboard.

"_I had your number quite some time ago, back when we were young, but I had to grow_," I caught the stare of his bright eyes when I looked back up and I closed my eyes after a moment. His gaze unnerved me, "_Ten thousand years I've searched it seems and now, gotta get to you, won't you tell me how?_" The version of the song, though it was meant for a guitar, it had been easy to convert to a piano piece.

"_Call me call me, let me know you are there_," I sang. "_Call me call me, I wanna know you still care. Come on now won't you, ease my mind, reasons for me to find you, peace of mind, what can I do, to get me to you?_" My mind raced as to why Hiei was even here. Did the scornful and usually irritated demon enjoy music? "_Come on now won't you, ease my mind, reasons for me to find you, peace of mind._" Maybe he came to antagonize me about how my voice sounds, "_Reasons for livin' my life, ease my mind." _He could be here to tell me to shut up, but why wouldn't he have said anything yet?_ "Reasons for me to know you, peace of mind,_" Or maybe he can't sleep, "_What can I do, to get me to you?_"

The song faded out and we stared at each other for a moment, before he looked away and left. For a minute I wondered if he had really even been there. True to his name, Hiei really was a flying shadow. After playing for a little while longer, I shut everything off and laid back on my futon. With my arms under my head and my legs splayed over the cushion, I closed my eyes. My sweater effectively keeping me warm. _Maybe.. _I thought. _Maybe he has too much on his mind, like me. _

Sleep left me stranded in the waking world that night, and I stayed there thinking over my life thus far. A few things had yet to add up, and I pushed the simple things back to focus on the big picture. Not long later, as I was delving into thought about what sort of demon powers I may or may not end up with, Kuwabara banged on my door. Morning had crept up on me, and I sighed.

"Yeah, I'm up. I'll see you at breakfast," I called, and he gave the okay before leaving me alone in silence once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Notes:<strong>

_Again I hardly changed anything for this chapter. The real edits are coming next, though. Six, Seven, and from there on are going to be much different. Let's hope I can get everything just right without too much difficulty. Please, bear with me. I know it's a pain. Also, I'm moving my old chapter note to this area. I wanted to keep it with the chapter; sentimental purposes and all that._

** "Alright everyone, I'm posting this chapter a little sooner then I thought I would. I usually post late Sunday evenings, and all that. The reason for this is that hurricane Irene is making landfall here in my city in a little more then an hour, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose the power/internet connection to my house. (Also, anyone else think this title is ironic, considering the circumstance in which I'm posting so early? I just noticed it. That so wasn't planned.) Anyway, without further ado, here's chapter five." **

_I know, I know. This chapter was short and sort of cryptic. There's finally some interaction with Hiei and Devin. So far on our time-line here, Devin's been in the past now for about a week and a half. _

_I can just imagine her little scrawny self huffing and puffing as she runs past Kuwa-kun. So funny._

__Anyway, now that the long author note is finished, on to the disclaimer.__

Devin, Hisato, and Morgan belong to me.

The characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho cannon belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

The song 'Call Me Call Me' is property of Yoko Kanno and whatnot.


	6. Chapter 6: Fracture

Inside The Fire

Chapter 06:

"Fracture"

* * *

><p>Two weeks went by of my vigorous exercise. Genkai finally deemed me strong enough to start the <em>real <em>training. Though, I wasn't fond of the _real training _one bit. I was currently sitting with the old woman on a pillar of stone over a canyon with the wind whipping me like a disobedient dog. It took everything I had to not pass out and fall to my death.

"Now, we're going to hold this pose. The meditation will begin with you clearing your mind and just finding yourself."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You'll understand when it happens."

I sighed in defeat and kept my back straight, my legs folded beneath me and my hands resting in my lap. I started the newly learned breathing technique and closed my eyes. My thoughts, on the other hand, buzzed through my brain, effectively irritating me and keeping me from whatever I was supposed to be actually doing. A sharp pain erupted from my forehead and I clutched at my skin with a quick intake of breath. Genkai was glaring at me.

"What was that for?"

"You need to let go of whatever is holding you back. Stop thinking so damn hard and just _be._"

"Easier said then done." I grumbled.

I closed my eyes again and drifted back into myself. The fuzzy static of my ever present thoughts came back full force. I could picture my inner self wading through them like a raging river. Slipping down under the waves of questions, I felt like I was drowning. My short fingernails did little to help me reach the surface, the metaphorical waves prevailed over my trimmed claws.

Tired, my brain was tired. My inner self ceased her struggles and let the beating of the tidal waves wash her along the never ending stream. Then I couldn't even hear the buzz my own mind created. My senses muted to the outside world, and to the noise my own inner struggles were causing. Now, I was just floating along in oblivion. The abyss was white without the shadowy static sweeping over me.

With my mind clear, I was able to understand what Genkai really meant. My senses opened again, but the inner world was silent. There were no scents, and no temperature differences. For awhile, anyway.

Walking around through the vast nothingness felt like mere moments ticking away when I finally felt _something. _It pulsed and beat like a drum, like my missing heart, even like wings if you wanted to go on with the analogy. Silvery-purple light flashed with the beat, and I edged toward it. A hazy sphere of shining energy sat like a beacon in the middle of my inner world. Each pulsation threw off an extra bright flash of blinding light.

The first thing I thought to do, was pick it up. With shaking hands I wrapped my fingers over the surface. The ball continued as it had been, but temperature made itself known. A warm tingle traveled thru my palms and along my bones. The further it got, the smaller the ball became. Eventually it was gone, and I was warm. My flesh glowed with the same light and I smiled at the sensation. Something deep inside of me sighed, _I feel _whole _now, _it whispered.

The next thing I knew, my world was fading. I could hear the wind in my ears, feel the chill in my bones, and I could see Genkai smirking at me. She was standing on her pillar, her clothing different then I remembered.

"Get what I mean now, kid?" She asked, smugly.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good, because it took you three days to figure it out."

Everything, ever so quickly, made itself known to me. Especially how greasy my hair felt. _Ugh, __nasty._

* * *

><p>I was clean, my clothes were fresh, and my jacket was the heaviest I had. Genkai and I stood on the porch, though she was just standing, I was saying farewell to Yukina.<p>

"Are you sure you don't need me to pack you two any food?"

"I'm sure Yukina. Genkai already told me I would be too busy to eat."

"Oh, well, please be careful." She smiled sadly at me.

"Don't be sad Yukina, I'll be fine and back before you know it." I patted her shoulder and she brightened.

"Alright kid, time to go." Genkai called from down the steps.

I followed after her. My hair whipped behind me in the wind like a silky banner. The forest was thick and full of woodland animals. Squirrels chattered above us and does with their fawns steered clear of us as we moved along. The details of the outing had been made clear to me, but I still felt as something was being withheld. _''I'm going to train you on how to manipulate that energy of yours, so go get clean and dress in warm clothes, you wont be bringing anything with you." She said. Sounds intense. _I glanced at the older woman, _Anything is better then running, though._

We walked for two days, with no sleep, until we were at the base of a cliff. She turned to me after jumping up on a boulder and sitting down. Myself, well, I dropped in a boneless heap on the ground.

"Alright, kid. It's time for you to learn how to actually fight."

"With my energy?"

"No, with your fists."

Sitting up, I eyed her warily. She was already up and looking down on me. Knowing I'd get pelted with pebbles, I stood too.

"First, you're going to learn to hold yourself like a fighter. A good stance is everything. You need to be able to keep your balance and be capable of holding yourself up. You can't be falling all over the place." She hopped down from the boulder and forcibly moved my body. She placed me in a pigeon toed, knee-bent stance and put my arms up to cover my chest and face.

"This," she tapped my back foot with her shoe, "is going to absorb the shock when you're on the defensive, it's also going to be what propels you forward when you strike."

"Hardly any fights are all stand still, you will constantly be in motion, but this is a good stance to start in and to fall back on."

"Alright." I committed the odd feeling position to memory.

"Your right hand is your dominant hand, but you will be using your left just as much as your right." She tapped my left fist and I looked at her over my raised hands, "Remember to keep both arms strong."

"I'll teach you as much as I know, but your own style will come naturally once you get into the swing of things. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, now hit me."

"Er.." I hesitated and she punched me in the ribs, I grit my teeth.

"Hesitating could mean your life, now hit me."

I swung and she knocked away my fist like it was a fly, I moved back into my stance.

"This is going to be a long few months," She sighed.

* * *

><p>"Ugh!" I grunted as I was thrown back across the gravel. Stones bit into the fabric of my pants and my back as I skidded along the ground. Not a second later Genkai was over me, sending punches into my gut. I flung her off and she landed on her feet.<p>

"God damn it," I grunted as I pulled myself up.

"What, does the baby have a booboo?" She taunted.

Growling, I ran at her. She blocked my right jab, spun away from my roundhouse kick, and in turn I blocked her shot at my ribs and kick to the throat. It had been weeks since the old bat had drug me out here, and now I was fighting her like my life depended on it. She was smaller then I was, but so much stronger. On a whole other level, I respected the old master, but right now I wanted nothing more then to strike her across the face. Just _once, _that's all. She _always _blocked _everything_ I sent at her, it was damn well frustrating.

One thing that had improved since being out here was my speed, not only was I capable of running faster, but my movements were sharper and more controlled. Jumping back from the woman, I went back into my stance. The pose was not the one originally taught to me by Genkai, but my own spin off of it. My legs, though still bent and pigeon toed, felt comfortable from so much use. My arms were positioned differently, effectively protecting my ribs and ready to come up to block anything sent at my face.

We watched one another before I ran at her, my body fazed out of view as I moved around her in a blur of denim jeans, black t-shirt, and bright lilac hair. She smirked, "This old trick again?"

Instead of my usual straight on attack from this dizzying display, I faked the old woman out. I came at her from the right and before I moved to strike, I spun back out and caught her from the front. My fist effectively caught her chin and she flew back. She never hit the cliff, her feet drug along the ground in a scratch of rubber sole against earth.

She wiped the blood from her bit lip and smirked at me,"Took you long enough, kid. Let's move on to something else."

I nodded, relaxing my stance, "Alright."

* * *

><p>"Summoning your youkai is a lot like channeling water. You navigate the power to where you want."<p>

"So, when you use the Spirit gun, you're channeling your energy into your fingertip."

"Exactly. You let the energy flow to where you want it, and let it build up to the amount you want, and release it. How you release it though, is up to you. You make your own attacks."

"So I can do whatever I want?"

"No, your body will know how to use it, how it's _supposed _to be used. You just have to figure it out."

"And I suppose your going to tell me how?"

"Don't be a smart-ass, kid."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Concentrate on your inner self. Let yourself feel the power of your youkai, and just feel around for a point of escape for the energy."

She hadn't needed to tell me twice. I dived down into the big white world. My spiritual self stood naked in the abyss, palms up and face upturned. Her eyes were shut as well. I broadened my senses, pushing them out and concentrating them on my own body. I felt the flow of my power like blood in my veins, then I felt a deviation in the flow. The energy bounced over the surface of my palms and fingertips on both hands. Quickly, I slipped back out from my meditative state, and nodded to Genkai.

"It's my hands. Palms and fingertips."

"Good, that makes this a little easier." She wasted no time with her exclamation, "Now you get to make your attacks."

"How do I do that?"

"That one you have to figure out yourself."

I frowned and stood, my arms limp at my sides. We were at the top of the cliff and the surface was mostly barren, and completely flat. Few boulders speckled the rocky ground. Facing one of the closer boulders, I faced my palm at it. Nothing happened for a long while. Possibly hours later, a thought came to me. Energy seeped from my hand in small tendrils of silvery-violet light. My mind dictated the pattern, thickness, shape – everything.

A simple circle formed, the diameter matched that of my palm. Then another circle framed that one, encircling it so the two were a centimeter apart. Small cut outs of triangles appeared within the lines and around the shapes, energy filled in the gaps. Around the band of light on the outer edge – though they did not touch the circle – small squares appeared.

In this odd weave of energy, a plain but small loop of energy appeared in the center with four unattached lines appearing in the center to touch the edge of the new layer. Each point came from one of the cardinal direction: north, south, east and west.

In basic terms, I had just made a target like structure out of my youkai from thin air. I stared at it, amazed. The light glowed brightly and it neither lagged nor wavered when I moved my hand. Next, I focused my energy at the surface of my skin. The slightly calloused flesh tingled and warmed.

It pulled through my spiritual veins and rocked like a wave under my skin until I let it go. The ball sprung forth like a blast from a cannon and obliterated the rock. A smile crept across my face and I turned around to Genkai, she was smirking at me and I showed her my still a-light palm. She nodded and pointed back to the empty area, I turned as the dust was settling.

"Now, like you've strengthened your body, you have to strengthen your spirit. You'll be training that little technique until it can blow King Yama himself off his throne." The amused tone never left her voice.

"I swear your trying to kill me, old lady." I grouched and walked off into the field.

"Less whining and more working, kid." She huffed.

"Yeah, yeah." I drawled as I wandered off to do some work.

* * *

><p>Never in my life had I been so happy to see a huge stairway. Trudging up them no longer wore me out like it had when Genkai had made me run them <em>fifteen <em>times every _six _hours. I wont divulge into that torturous week of hell, it was all in the past, anyway. The weather was warmer, considering it was now spring. Spending two (and just about a half) months in the middle of no where with only the clothes on your back did a lot to change your appreciation for modern technology.

The closest thing I had to a proper bath was a dip in the nearest stream with sand as my soap. My skin was mostly grimy, my hair was pulled in a sloppy and loose bun at the back of my head and was greasy. My clothes were filthy and I smelled like sweat reheated in hell.

Yukina and Kuwabara were lounging on the front porch when I was finally at the landing. The ice maiden quickly waved and smiled when she saw me. The ox of a boy stood and trotted over to me, swinging a arm over my shoulder. His grin could have split his face in half if it stretched any further.

"Hey, Devin! We thought Genkai killed you out there. We haven't seen you in so long. And, ugh, what's that _smell_?" His nose scrunched and he leaned away from me.

"Nice to see you too," I smirked and ducked out from under his arm. "I thought she _was _trying to kill me out there, and I haven't had soap to bathe with in months. I smell like death."

"Death smells like roses compared to you right now, jeeze!" He pinched his nose and held his arm away from his body, the one that had been around me.

"Oh hush," I sighed and walked up to the house.

Yukina smiled sweetly at me, her eyes closing as she did so. "Welcome home, Devin. Are you well?"

My eyes widened slightly, and I nodded to her. "I am, and thanks. How have you been?"

"The same, thank you for asking. I've dusted your room for you while you were away, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, thank you, again." I dipped down in a bow, "Now if you'll excuse me, I desperately need a bath."

The mint haired girl, who I had noticed was dressed in a skirt, blouse, and sweater, turned to talk to Genkai as she made her way to the temple. I didn't stay any longer then that as I passed through the forgotten halls. Yukina had kept my room as it was, and I grabbed clothes to change into after my shower. My bath bin came with me as well as I left the room and traveled to the – extremely missed – wash room.

Clothing was shoved off in a rush after the door was locked and I covered myself with water, more soap then was needed, and scrubbed. My skin was pleasantly sore when I was finished, as was my scalp. My wet hair tickled my lower back and I tossed my fluffy towel over my head to rub it dry. The mass of purple smelled like fresh cut flowers and my skin felt smooth.

As I brushed my hair, I noticed all of the callouses my hand had to offer, and I knew its twin would be the same. After a quick check in the mirror and brushing my teeth, I left. Having on fresh clothing felt wonderful. My new attire consisted of a gray tank top, a loose, black, hip length sweat jacket that I left unzipped, and my usual jeans.

_Home, _I frowned in thought as I walked back to the kitchen. _Could I ever even consider this place home? _Shaking my head, I walked in just in time for lunch. Hamburgers sat on everyone's plate and there was a few bags of chips on the table. My mouth watered at the scent and I plopped down onto my mat.

"I prepared something American for us." Yukina explained to Genkai.

Everyone's eyes swiveled to me and I felt my face heating up, "Eh, what?" I blinked.

"Could you tell me if I made them right, Devin?" Yukina asked me and I looked down at the burger.

The sandwich was the perfect size and I chomped right into it. _God, this is so good. _I swallowed my mouthful and nodded to her. "Yukina it's perfect." I showed her a small smile and went back to shoving food into my face. Too busy was I, to notice everyone else was eating and carefully watching our exchange.

When we were fished our meal and it was just me and Yukina cleaning up, Genkai cleared her throat. I looked over at her when she said: "It's time to get back to work."

"Eh? We just got back, Genkai."

"That's the point. You have more skills to develop that I can't help you with, but there are people who can help you here."

"Wonderful," I sighed.

"Go meet Hiei outside on the porch, you're his problem now."

"Cranky old woman." I grumbled as I tossed the dish cloth in the sink.

"Smart-ass kid." She bit back.

Pushing my sleeves up my forearms as I wandered out into the second to last room. It was the meeting room where I had been interrogated my first day here. My shoes laid at the door and I pulled on the dirty tennis sneakers. My steps were light and the soles tapped against the wood. As promised, Hiei was waiting in the courtyard and I sighed as I moved down the stairs.

He eyes me with a blank stare and flickered away. Frowning, I ran after his energy signature. It disappeared far off into the forest, and I chased it like a ship following the beacon of a lighthouse. Just to point out a fact here, I am no where near as fast as the moody fire demon. Yeah, I can get out of the way of an energy blast fast enough to save my own ass, but keep up with Hiei? Not a chance.

The signal finally stopped then faded and I made my way through the brush and foliage of overgrown plants. I broke into a cleared area. Trees were broken around the edges of the circle, a boulder laid to the left, dry and cracked from the weather. The grass was plush in some areas and dead in others. Some splotches of soil showed in all of their bare glory, too. My first thought went right to a workout ring. Which it was, obviously, I deducted by the slash marks on the trees. The red-eyed demon stood in the center, his usual cloak wrapped around him despite the nice weather.

"Took you long enough."

"Not all of us can be as fast as you, Hiei." I sighed, stuffing my hands in my jean's pockets.

He smirked, and I pictured his ego inflating just the slightest bit, "Explain to me why Genkai passed you onto me."

"Didn't she tell you?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and he gave me a deadpan stare.

"It's," I started, then paused, fumbling for the right words. My eyes drifted up to the overhanging tree branches, fresh leaves blocked most of the sky view. Slivers of blue shone behind the leaves, J_ust be direct, what's he gonna do, laugh? _My mind whispered harshly.

"My mental barriers are shit. Genkai pulled some trick and used my memories against me, I ended up knocked out for two days afterward."

"I wont take it easy on you."

Nodding, I accepted his answer. "Didn't expect you to."

After staring at me for a moment with hard eyes, he pointed to the boulder. I walked over to it before jumping up on it and sitting down. The surface was cold from being in the shade and the demon sat on a stump in front of the rock. My ocean blue eyes watched him and waited for instruction.

"Go into your meditative state," he directed.

My eyes shut and I waded into the shallows of my question river. The static lapped at my spiritual self before I dove into it and swam under until I reached the other side. The white world became solid with my feet connecting with the floor. My inner self looked around expectantly.

That's when a dark velvety purple mist appeared. It took shape, forming a shadow that matched Hiei exactly. _Interesting, _the echoing thought bounced around the never ending world.

_Focus, _the purple Hiei replied. _To repel an illusion, you have to use your will and logic. _

_ Alright, _my brain whispered back.

_Repel this, _he threw a picture of me drowning in my static river. I could feel water clogging my lungs, my my thoughts became hazy. It was all so strange, because that river wasn't even really _water. _

I gasped and clawed at the surface. My spiritual fingers scraped at the water, I was really going to drown. This was it, I was goi-

_ Repel it! _Hiei's angry voice yelled at me.

My thrashing body stopped and I focused on standing back in the abyss, white and empty with Hiei's cloud clone standing ahead of me. Then, it vanished, and that's where I was. My head snapped to either side, looking for the water, and it wasn't there.

_When you're put into that situation, you panic. Don't. _His voice was stern, and my spirit self nodded.

* * *

><p>Like most nights, I was tired, but unable to sleep. My back laid against the cool wood floor of the porch. My gray sweat pants were baggy on my, now more lean and muscular, frame. Though I was still small and thin, I didn't look as sickly. My feet were bare and I had on the same black jacket from earlier, but a different shirt. The soft breeze tickled my skin and I yawned.<p>

My arms were behind my head, my left knee drawn up with my right leg crossed over the knee. _I can't even sleep after having my ass handed to me mentally. _I blink up at the night sky with bleary eyes. It was true, Hiei had shoved me into situation after situation where his illusions overtook my mind rather easily. Where I had become physically mighty, my mind stayed weak. A puff of air left my parted lips and I closed my eyes.

_I just need, _I thought, _to let it go. _A soft hum began in the back of my throat. The tune was soft, mostly sad, yet hopeful it its own way. "_Someday, look back, on a, young day, we shared, we learned, we had, we lost,_" my voice made the appropriate pauses in the bouncy tune. My usually lower voice, took it's natural tone. The few higher octaves made such a difference. The soft voice, I knew, matched my young looks more. "_Because you know, tomorrow had another plan. Because we lose, the future is all we have left._" I took a breath, "_One pain, one hope, too far, so close, we laugh, we cry, we live, we grow._"

The tune smoothed out, "_Because..._" My voice trailed off. "_Because we know the future is all we have left._" A high pitched hum matched my singing voice as it traveled from my throat in a matching tune, then I picked the song back up. "_One day, somewhere, hold on, somewhere, we stand, we leap, we fall, we go._" Blinking up at the stars, I wondered at the familiar feeling rising in my gut, "_Because you know, tomorrow plays another hand. Because we lose, the future is all we have left._" The humming resumed, soft and sweet. "_We have someday,_" I hummed some more, "_surely someday,_" a pause, "_surely someday._"

A minute or so passed by when I finished my song, my rightful tone slipping away, "Did I wake you, Hiei?"

He jumped from the roof to the porch, "Hn."

Tilting my head back, I got a view of him from upside down. "I'll take that as a 'doesn't matter'," I looked back up at the stars.

Shuffling ensued and the clack of boots hitting each other. In my minds eyes, I pictured him sitting against the overhang roof support beam. "That song is meant to go with the playing of a piano." I mentioned after a few seconds.

"Why are you telling me, onna?" His tone wasn't biting, as usual. Calmer, actually.

"Just letting you know."

"Pointless."

"Not really."

"Hn."

We sat in silence for awhile. What he was doing, I don't know. From my position near the stairs I couldn't see the fire demon behind me. The stars blinked down at the world and the night air shifted now and again.

"Do you like music?"

"What type of question is that?"

"A random one." I tilted my head back to look at him. As far as I could see, his hair was still spiky and he had his bandana over his forehead, as usual. My body refused to bend back any farther without me changing my position.

"Your style of music."

"Hm?"

"The music you've played, it's different."

"Ah," my eyes moved back to the sky.

"Most of it's what my mother taught me. I translated a lot of it into Japanese, my father liked hearing them and knowing what was actually being said."

Another batch of silence made itself known to us. The silence wasn't awkward, but I felt the need to speak to the antisocial fire demon, though a man of few words he was.

"Your voice isn't strong," he said out of nowhere.

I sat up, turned, and faced him, "You really must enjoy reminding me of my faults."

His red eyes glittered, "It's interesting, you never know if you'll break or not."

I pulled myself up and moved to the threshold of the meeting room, "I'll take that as a compliment." I left him out there in the night. Morning was fast approaching, and I wanted another shower before everyone was crowding the bathroom. Today was going to prove to be another flushed out training day from my new sensei. _Oh, how lucky am I? _My inner voice drawled out sarcastically.

* * *

><p>A man dressed in black slacks and a white button up. His eyes were the deepest blue, his hair the color of milk chocolate. He held a hand out to me, a large calloused hand. His skin was of an olive tone and pale. A crooked smile played on his lips, but it belonged there. I reached out, too, and put my smaller hand in his.<p>

The smile twisted into a sadistic smirk when pain exploded from my back. Eyes wide and horrified, I looked over my shoulder. A beautiful petite woman with long wavy black tresses and a ivory complexion smiled a hateful smile. Blood dripped from her face and around her bright gray eyes. They never spoke, never said a single word to me. The feeling of betrayal bubbled in my gut, but it was nothing compared to the pain. I didn't even know if it was emotional or physical.

A horse cry ripped from my spirit's throat, and it all exploded into ribbons of light. In a whirlwind, it vanished just as it came. I gasped for air and wrapped my arms around myself for some sort of comfort. That had been the worst attack yet.

"_Control yourself, it was nothing,_" Hiei's cloud spoke.

My meditative state was slipping, I could feel my body waking up to the outside world. I struggled to anchor myself to my world, then it just fell through my fingers.

My eyes slammed open, my arms were covered with gooseflesh and my senses were sharp. The spiky haired demon glared at me irritatedly. My legs moved out from under me and I slipped down from the rock and walked past the demon, my eyes hard, focused, and trained ahead of me. My strides were long and my pace quick, but he was always quicker.

A sharp blade rested at the side of my neck, and I kept my back straight. "We aren't finished."

My breathing was even, "I need a break."

"You're running away."

"Not really."

The sword moved and he sneered, "You're pathetic."

That same overwhelming feeling surged forward like a tidal wave. My head ached, my body flushed in a spike of temperature, and my hair stood on end. I spun around so fast that I almost lost balance. My fist flew forward and Hiei caught it easily. I felt my whole demeanor change. My muscles that had been relaxed became taunt and my unhanded fist clenched and shook as my knuckles turned white.

I could see him through my bangs, hard red eyes glared back into my stormy cerulean ones. My teeth clenched painfully and I hissed at him, "So what?"

I ripped my fist from his grasp and whipped it out to the side in a wide sweep, "So what if I'm pathetic? Does it even fucking matter?"

His eyes were critical and his glare held firm, "It's not like I _belong _here, I shouldn't even be alive!" The wind whipped my hair to the side and the leaves of the trees shook, it carried my harsh growl away.

Somewhere my subconscious whispered, barely audible, _You're breaking..._

Turning back around, I started walking back the way I was originally headed. Right as I was about to pass through the edge of the clearing, a hand caught my wrist. I didn't struggle against his grip as I stood there. His skin was obnoxiously warm and it sent a tingle up my arm and down my spine.

"Are you done with this meaningless babble?"

My head bowed, I glanced over my shoulder and through the fringe of my bangs at him. His bored expression wasn't unusual. I could never read those eyes of his.

Sighing, I moved my arm and he released me, "Yeah."

Without orders, I sat back on the rock and rubbed my forehead. The ache had yet to subside and I stared down into my lap, "You confuse the shit out of me."

"Hn, says the onna who just threw a tantrum."

"Oh, hush."

I'm not really sure what his smirk meant that time, and I didn't bother decoding the fire demon. _Some things are just better left in the dark, _I assured myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Notes:<strong>

_Well, dang. Hiei's stalking the poor girl it seems._

_Devin's learning how to control and protect herself. That's good, right? Right._

_We'll see._

_Can anyone guess who attacked Dev during her mental training? Kudos to you if you know._

_Last but not least, thanks to my reviewers:_

_O T A K U T A K U, _Chevalier Weldon, Erika Hearken, and jennyz__

Devin, Hisato, and Morgan belong to me.

The characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho cannon belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

The song 'Because' is property of Yoko Kanno and whatnot.


	7. Chapter 7: Morse Code is Easier

**So, I'm starting college tomorrow. I'll be there from 8am-9am, then from 3pm-9:30pm. I have no clue about how the homework load will be, or how tired I'm going to be. So if my posting schedule becomes a little sloppy from here on out, I apologize.**

* * *

><p><span>Inside The Fire<span>

Chapter 07:

"Morse Code is Easier"

* * *

><p>The mid-May air was warm against my skin. Hiei and I both were in the clearing where we still met to go through my training. Since my little freakout a week ago, things between us seemed calmer. The fire demon is basically the only one I feel comfortable being myself around, though it goes without saying that the changes were minimal. That and I still wasn't completely open with him, but it was a step in the right direction, I think. I mean, I sort of understood his odd speech patterns. Damned anti-social demon.<p>

We had moved from illusion assaults to actual barriers. It wasn't too difficult or time consuming to learn, hence why I was laying in a patch of grass under one of the outside trees. _I wonder where Hiei wen- What just fell on my face? _I picked up the object with my fingers and promptly flung it away before scrambling up and away from my resting spot.

"What the hell?" My lungs heaving and my posture screaming upset. I looked up to see Hiei in the tree above where I had been.

"What, onna?" He sighed.

"You just knocked a spider onto me, that's what!" I yelled, pointing up at him.

"Hn."

"Ch, man of a thousand words." I scoffed sarcastically, composing myself.

"Baka."

Glaring up at him, I walked out of the clearing and through the forest. A new habit of mine was wandering off during my work hours. Nearby was a stream that carried cool fresh water. Dried leaves crunched under my feet as I walked the familiar path. The surrounding area had become memorized, from the way the trees grew to which path took me back to the temple. I walked down the slope to the streams edge and squatted down. I cupped my hands in the cool water and splashed my face with it. It calmed my nerves from the spider attack and my skin settled instead of having that crawling feeling wash over my flesh.

I sat back on the dirt and rested my elbows on my knees. My shoes were mere inches away from the waterway. My mind cleared as I watched the liquid move over rocks and pebbles. As I sat there, a feeling of unease gnawed at my gut. Something was off. Glancing around, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary, my eyes passed over the rocks along the ground and around the nearby trees. I eyed an odd shaped reddish rock for a few moments before getting up to inspect it.

Pulling myself up and brushing off my jeans, I sauntered over to the mysterious rock. When I caught sight of the other side of it, I quickly realized it wasn't a rock, but a newborn pup of some sort. My eyes widened and I cupped it in both hands. The baby was cold and not breathing. A deep frown etched my face, the heartbeat was so faint. The newborn laid against my chest easily, his unresponsive body flopping around as I repositioned him. I rubbed his body quickly, but as gently as I could. His skin began to heat up and I leaned my face down to his, blowing a soft puff of air against his nose.

"Come on," I murmured to his unresponsive form.

Repeating the process, I blew another breath of air against his muzzle. His lungs shuddered and pulled in a small breath, and a small smile crept over my lips. Another blow of air, this time his head lifted a centimeter and he whimpered. With the puppy breathing on his own, I resigned to just warming him up. Holding the baby close in my arms, I made my way up the path toward the temple.

The animal was weak and running his wet nose over my arm by the time I was on the front porch. Immediately, I made my way through the mass of halls to the wash room. In the linen closet, I found a thick white hand towel. This is what I used to wrap the animal up in. Whimpering, he wiggled and searched blindly for a spot to nurse. Frowning, I left the bundle on one of the mats in my room and marched back through the house.

I ended up in the kitchen, where I found Yusuke talking to Kurama at the table. He glared at me when I walked in, and Kurama greeted me politely. Ignoring his hello, I faced the brunette.

"Do you mind if I use your communicator?" My voice was even and lacking an argumentative tone.

"And why would I let _you _use _my _fucking communicator?" He bit back irritatedly.

Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. I really didn't need his shit right now. When I was through easing the oncoming ache in my skull, I looked back at him, straight in the eye. " I need to talk to Botan, it's important."

He stared me down, "Please, Yusuke."

Huffing, he flicked out the communicator and I caught it, "Bring it right back when you're done." I nodded and walked back down the hall for some privacy.

When I opened the compact, Botan's smiling face flickered into view, "Oh, Devin-san! It's nice to see you."

"Botan, I have a favor to ask of you."

"How can I help?" She looked a little worried now, probably because of my upset expression.

"Could you possibly take me shopping? I need to pick something up, and I have no money.." I wasn't able to finish my explanation when she broke out into a giddy grin and got super close to the screen.

"Of course! I'm on my way!" Her picture fizzed out and the screen went blank.

Pulling away, I blinked and shut the mirror. Wandering back out into the kitchen, I handed the mirror back to Yusuke while dipped in a slight bow, "Thank you."

When he snatched it back I walked back out and toward my room. Once I was inside and the door was locked, I flipped on the light and checked the puppy. He was still squirming, but not as frequent. With a single fingertip, I rubbed his small head. He calmed and whined. Knowing Botan would be here any minute, I wrenched open my drawer full of jackets and picked up one of the zip ups. The dark navy material slipped over my plain white tank top easily, and I zippered it up halfway.

Moving back over to the hungry baby animal, I lifted the bundle gently and tucked it into my jacket before zippering it up higher to conceal his presence. The jacket was just baggy enough to hide the small bulge. I pushed up the sleeves to my elbows and stuffed my hand into my pocket to help hold the cargo I carried. The elastic band around the bottom of the coat, though it easily slipped around my hips, could become lose easily enough to let the dog fall from the band.

Just as I was unlocking my door, a loud knock resounded. I pushed my hair back and pulled open the door. I kept a mask of calm over my features and greeted Botan, she smiled at me and led me from the temple. This time, like the last, Kurama also accompanied us to the cab. The drive was nerve racking, I silently prayed the puppy wouldn't cry while the car moved along the road. But, of course, the gods ignored my pleas, and he whimpered.

Abruptly, I coughed into my exposed right fist and looked out the window I was seated against. My face flushed, _They're going to figure it out, they're going to figure it out~, _my brain teased me.

"Are you alright Devin?" Kurama leaned forward and asked me, concern showing on his face.

"I'm fine, my throat was just a little scratchy, that's all." I lied.

He eyed me a moment before sitting back against the seat.

When the cab finally pulled up to the curb of the mall, we all piled out. Kurama politely excused himself and we parted ways. His excuse was he had to take care of things at home. Botan and I waved after him before going inside.

"Okay, Devin, what do you need?" She smiled at me as we walked through the usual mall crowd.

"Oh, uhm, I need some summer shirts, mostly what I have is long sleeved." I lied.

"Oh, of course! Let's start with this store." Botan started pulling me in the general direction of a boutique.

"Hey, Botan?"

"Hmm?" She hummed while looking through the racks.

"Do you mind if I look around while you shop here? There's a music store across the hall."

"Sure," she smiled at me and handed me a wad of cash. My mouth dropped open and she pushed me toward the door.

"Don't worry about anything here, go ahead and have some fun!" She laughed in a way that almost changed my mind, but remembering my mission, I left.

When I was sure Botan wasn't looking, I passed the music shop and walked further back into the building. A large pet store with rows and rows of fish, small rodents, cats, dogs and lizards. I passed all of the animals to the product isle's and began searching for the puppy supplies. I spotted a display of canned powder mix for newborns and red the label, _Mineral and vitamin enriched powder for newborn puppies. Mix one part powder with two parts water, keep formula refrigerated. _It would have to do. I held the can in the crook of my arm with the pocketed hand and walked down the isle. I quickly found a pack of two bottles and various nipples of all sizes. Picking up one of the packages I roamed the isle.

By the look of the dog, he could have been wild like a Coyote, but he could have been just a mutt. I frowned as I stood at the collar display and looked at the many different styles and colors. _Oh, what the hell, _I sighed and picked up a purple dyed leather collar. It had plenty of holes so the size could be adjusted and a thick metal ring for a leash or tags to be connected. _Just in case, _I thought as I looked down into my jacket at the pup. He was too young for me to even determine the sex yet, _or if he'll live, _I added mentally. Shaking my head I grabbed a sturdy leather leash. At the clasp, six inches of chain ran up until it switched to the rough brown leather. It was long and I added it to my armful of supplies.

_What else do I need.. _I looked around and spotted a shelf with bowls. I grabbed two stainless steel bowls and a bag of kibble before dropping my armload onto the check out counter.

"Will that be all miss?" The young man asked from behind the counter.

"Yes," I nodded and pulled the wad of cash from my pocket, leaning against the counter as I used my other hand to be ready to count it out.

"We also have a dog tag service if your interested." He said in a robotic manner as he scanned the collar.

"How much does it cost?" The amount he recited was something near ten American collars, approximately seven-hundred sixty-seven yen.

"Sure, I'll get one made," he handed me s small booklet of dog tag styles. He paused in his work to take down the number of the style I chose. It was a simple oval, silver and plain.

"What would you like inscribed on it?"

I thought for a few moments, my eyes staring at the at my distorted reflection that bounced off of the bottom of the metal bowl. _A unisex name. What would be a fitting name for it?_ My look lightened as it dawned on me and I looked up to the cashier, "Kira."

He nodded and proceeded to finish ringing up all of my things.

* * *

><p>When I found Botan still in the same store, but at the register, I meandered over to her. My bag of pet supplies was neatly covered by a few books of sheet music, all in the same brown paper bag. Switching my arm load, I pulled out the still large wad of cash. She turned it down and told me to keep it, so I didn't have to rely on her for all of my shopping. With a chuckle I accepted her response. She was obviously trying to deter my annoyance at the random shirts of bright color I saw amongst the darker colors of my liking. This must have been her plan all along.<p>

"Thank you, Botan." I said to her as we plopped into the back seat of the cab again. The driver pulled off from the curb and made his way back toward the temple.

"Don't worry about it." She smiled, "so, what did you find?"

"Oh, just this and that. Some sheet music." She nodded at my explanation and we rode back with a bit of small talk conspiring between us.

* * *

><p>The cab dropped us off at the spot it picked us up at, and we gathered our bags. As we wandered back thru the forest, Botan told me, in her usual excited way, that she even found a really cute summer dress for herself. She was mid-description when an annoyed fire demon landed in front of us. His bare arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at me.<p>

"Uh, Devin, I'm going to go on ahead." She hurriedly excused herself and ran up the steps.

I stared surprised at Hiei, a blush covering my cheeks as I glanced away. I carried my four bags of clothes in my non-pocketed hand and my paper bag was tucked neatly in the crook of the same arm.

"I had an emergency," I tried to reason.

"Emergency shopping?"

"Yeah, actually."

He just shook his head and moved from my path, "Baka onna."

"Shaddup," I sighed and walked around him.

We walked along the beaten path to the stairs. When my foot fell on the first stone step, he asked me something.

"So what's in your shirt?"

My blush returned and I froze. Hiei turned back to me, hands in his pockets. He was five steps ahead of me now, and I took my foot off the step. From my position I was looking up at him. My eyes cut downward at the bulge and I instinctively moved my arm closer to it. My bags sat on the ground with a rustle and I pulled my zipper down.

With both hands, I reached into my coat and pulled the white bundle from inside. It sat easily between my palms, warm from my body heat. It wiggled and whimpered and Hiei's eyes widened. I moved up two of the steps as I cradled it in the crook of one of my arms and pulled back the cloth.

Sitting inside was the thin, auburn haired pup, his eyes sealed shut and his ears small on the sides of his head. His black nose twitched as he sniffed the air. I rubbed a finger over his head and held him out to the red eyed demon.

"I found him all alone in the woods near the stream. There were no others, and his mom wasn't there." When Hiei didn't take the pup I pulled him back into the crook of my arm and held him close.

"He wasn't even breathing when I picked him up, but he got better once he was warm." A small smile played on my lips and I talked softly as I admired the baby's face. He was really rather cute for a blind wriggly creature.

"Baka, you should have left it," he grunted and turned back around before moving back up the steps.

I tucked the bundle back in my jacket and held the bottom of it from within my pocket. Quickly, I snatched up my bags and ran up the stairs after him. "And let him die, without even trying to help? I couldn't do that." I argued.

Hiei was quiet when we ended up on the porch. I breezed past him and took the long way to my room instead of passing through the kitchen. I dumped my bags near the vanity and left Kira on the floor mat closest to my door. He whimpered and I shushed him. In a flurry of movements I shoved off my coat and made my way out to the kitchen. No one was there, luckily. I picked out a glass leftovers container from a cabinet, a fork, and a funnel. Before I left I snatched a pair of scissors out of a drawer and trotted back to my room.

I let myself back into my already a-light room and walked past the dog. Kneeling, I sat down all of my found objects and set aside the keyboard. Searching through the stuffed paper bag, I tossed the sheet music books to the side and dumped the rest of the things on the floor. The can of powder rolled to my feet and I snatched it.

After removing the metal covering that kept it fresh, I took out the plastic scoop and filled it the soft formula mix. When I tapped it on the inside of the class jar, it fell into the bottom with a plop. Quickly, I snagged the fork and left for the wash room. Leaning over the sink, I added a little over two parts hot water. The powder grew lumpy and floated around the top. The scent of it was creamy and sweet, in an odd way. I beat the mixture with the fork to break up any lumps. The final product was a rich creamy white and still warm.

I rinsed the fork before carrying everything back with me. Carefully, with the funnel, I poured the mixture into the opened bottle. When it was filled to the marked line, I sat the funnel and capped the jar with the silicone lid. The bottle sat unattended when I reached the the scissor and appropriate size nipple. I cut a hole in the top and squeezed the bottle to test it. Milk squirted from it onto my jeans and I sighed.

_Okay baby, meal time. _I moved against the wall by the door and picked up the bundle from the mat. Unrolling it, the puppy squirmed into my hand and I held it's head as I rested the rubber tip against its doggy lips. Kira attached to it after a little fussing and slurped greedily. Keeping gentle pressure on the bottle, I squeezed as the puppy drank, the sides falling in fast.

"That's a good baby," I murmured to Kira as it chugged down the food.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until after I had cleaned up Kira and got him to sleep that I finally put away my new shirts. Now, I say 'him' because something in my gut just told me that it would be a boy, though from checking him, there was no real way to tell yet for sure. Dinner had passed, and I had skipped after hiding the formula container in the fridge. While the puppy slept I took a shower and redressed in pajamas. Even though the night was warm, I wore pants, but the shirt I wore was a spaghetti strap. This way I wouldn't overheat, hopefully.<p>

No one other then Hiei had found out about Kira, and I snuggled up to the wrapped up pup when I laid down on my futon. It was early still, but I was tired, which was rare. Yawning, I folded my arm under my pillow and shut my eyes. Sleep found me immediately.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, it was pitch black in my room and Kira was whimpering. I hushed the puppy and left to grab the hidden bottle from the kitchen. The container was half full of formula. I removed the rubber feeder tip and ran the plastic bottle under the faucet. Hot water stung my fingers and I waited for five minutes before someone appeared.<p>

In all of his gloomy glory, Hiei walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice before pouring himself a glass. I looked away from him and tested the milk on my palm. It was warm, but not too warm. I rinsed my hand and recapped the bottle and shut off the water. I was leaving the kitchen when the light shut off behind me and I herd feet following me.

I knew we both lived down the same hall, and he was my teacher, but it was unnerving to no end. When his steps followed me past his room, I rolled my eyes. Opening the door, I stepped aside and let him enter. I pulled the door behind myself when I walked in, and I ignored him as I crossed the room.

His glass sat on my table and I plopped down onto my futon. I uncovered Kira fully and gave him the bottle while he sat on the floor. I held his head in place while he drank the mixture down without a fuss.

"So what brings you here this evening?" I asked in a tone unlike the one I had earlier. My usual low voice came to life as words spilled from my throat.

He eyed me a moment, took a sip of his drink, and spoke. " You're hiding again."

Sighing, I shook my head, "No, I'm not."

"Your voice changes."

I didn't look back up at him, "Everyone's does, Hiei."

"So do your eyes," he added.

"You studying me now or something?" I stole a glance at him.

His lip curled in a disgusted way, and I could have smirked, but I chose to put my attention back on Kira.

"Don't be so full of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?" I could hear his teeth clack against each other as he ground his teeth.

"Baka onna," he growled.

"Calm down," sighing, I sat the bottle aside and picked up the napping pup. He wiggled before settling in my arms as I ran my fingers over his silky fur, "You'll chip a fang," I drawled before releasing a yawn behind my hand.

"Hn," he grunted and left, taking his glass with him.

I shook my head at him and laid on my side with Kira against my chest. Yawning again, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I cleaned out the bottle in the kitchen before Yukina was even up. Refilling it and heating it took only a few minutes and I was back in my room again before anyone in the temple even stirred. Kira waddled on soft legs to me when I sat down on my bed. He nuzzled my hand with his nose and I fed him his breakfast.<p>

When the bottle was half empty and he was full, I took to fixing myself up for the day. I left to wash my face and brush my teeth and when I was back in my room I changed. A navy spaghetti strap went over my bra and light jeans over my panties. Socks covered my feet and I made my way to breakfast.

An hour or so had passed and everyone was awake and either at the table or making their way there. Kuwabara was at the table when I was shoved roughly from behind. Stumbling, I caught myself on the counter. A smirking Yusuke passed me by and my lip curled in a snarl. Something just, well, _snapped. _I mean, who wouldn't be tired of being shoved around after months of it continuing?

Taking a irritated step toward the table I growled at the taller man just as he got to his seat, "What the _fuck _is your _problem_?"

He whipped around and stomped back over to me. He was very intimidating but I stood my ground, not flinching. "_You're _my fucking _problem, _bitch!"

"For what reason? I haven't done shit to you!"

"You're the fucking enemy! I don't believe Koenma's bullshit about you telling the truth and I sure as hell don't believe your bullshit story!" he snapped.

"You think I fucking came here out of my own god damn free will, you son of a bitch? If you're really that fucking crazy, you belong in a fucking mental hospital!"

"Why you little shit," he growled and swiped at me.

I dodged his hand and glared at his irritated expression, "Stop taking whatever dumb-ass issues you have out on me and get your shit together."

"Why don't you make me, bitch!"

"Fine, then fucking come at me, pussy!" I screamed.

He was about to lunge at me when Genkai yelled at us to take our bullshit outside and that she'd kill us both if we fucked up her temple.

We both marched into the courtyard. My shoes were on in a flash and so were his. We took to opposite sides of the field, and then he ran at me. He was _fast, _but not faster then Hiei. His aura was immense too. Glaring, I blocked his jab at my face and flipped back when he went to kick out my legs. When I landed I surged forward and threw an array of punches, kicks, and elbows at him. He was on the defensive and only a few of my attacks landed. Soon enough we were just beating the life out of each other without blocking much of anything.

We both slid back and away from each other, "Fucking old bat taught you well," he grunted.

"Yeah, she did." I panted and pushed my bangs out of my face.

He pointed a glowing fingertip at me, and I knew what was coming. "Spirit Gun!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

My eyes widened and I changed my stance just as the high speed energy burst hit. When the dust settled, he swore.

"What the fuck is that?" he glared irritatedly at me.

A kaleidoscope of transparent colors shone in the sun. They swirled and shimmered like water. My left arm was high above my head, my palm facing the sky. My right was parallel with the ground, palm facing out. A smirk played on my lips, "This is my Crystalline Shield."

The shield shimmered out of existence and I faced my palm out at the Detective. The familiar target like symbol appeared over my hand and my eyes grew brighter. My vision enhanced ten fold and I faced my palm at the brunette, "Vista Cannon!" I yelled, and a ball of bright silvery-purple energy flew out at Yusuke.

Unfortunately, he just hit the blast away with his arm. It veered off and exploded through the forest, breaking a few trees as it went. My eyes went back to their usual ocean blue and the target on my hand vanished. I grit my teeth and we dashed back out at one another. Before he could sock me in the face, I blurred out of sight.

Moving around Yusuke, I sent out random attacks. Like the old lady, I caught him off guard and slipped up under his arms and slammed my right fist up under his ribs. He flipped back and landed in a crouch before flying at me. We were once again locked in a whirlwind of punches, kicks, and heightened tempers. When he appeared before me with his finger in the shape of a gun, glowing and whining like a high pitch whistle, I froze. He shot me point blank in the chest and I flew back.

I stopped when I slammed into a thick oak tree. Blood spurted from my mouth and I fell on my face into the dirt. On shaking hands, I pulled myself up onto my palms and knees. Looking up, his finger was in my face, pointing dead between my eyes. Memories made me freeze, like before, and then I relaxed. Stumbling with my arms up to protect myself, I stared down the brunette.

"Why do you hate me?" I whispered.

"Does it matter?" he snapped.

"Yeah, it does." With one arm moving to wrap around my ribs, I reached out and covered his gun shaped hand with my own. The shocked half demon blinked at me.

"Look, if me being here fucked some shit up for you or something, I'm sorry."

I didn't pull my hand away as I straightened myself up so I wasn't hunched over as much, "I didn't mean to die and crash land here in your world. I've got bad luck, and shit just happens." I wasn't sure why I was confessing to this ill tempered kid, but I felt like he needed to hear it.

"I don't want to fight with you, you've probably got too much to worry about without me giving you any extra grief," I smiled at him a little, "right?"

His shock dissipated and his expression softened, "Yeah, you're right." He moved his hand out from under mine, and gripped it. We stood there a moment taking in the others appearance. Our hands were holding onto one another tightly.

"I just," he spoke up, "with the new mission, and then you coming here, and my girlfr... Ex-girlfriend..." He trailed off after that.

"Girlfriend?" I eyed him.

"With the Hisato mission, I haven't had any time for her, then she refused my proposal and we had an argument, we split after that." His frown was deep and his eyes dark with grief.

Instinct took over and I let the guys hand go, and hugged him. Using only one arm I pulled myself to him and his breathing stopped for a second before he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The other arm was singed and bleeding from my Vista Cannon blast. His grin was priceless, and I knew we had patched things up and he had vented. In truth, I had been able to vent as well, and without the extra tension making me hold onto my tough mask, I let out a chuckle at his stupid face.

_Yusuke Urameshi, enemy turned friend, _I shook my head and we walked back to the porch using each other as support, _who'd have thought that? _ Everyone was on the porch watching us, and probably witnessed our fight as well. Kuwabara jumped from the side and ran toward us. Yusuke let me go and he proceeded to wrestle with the carrot top. They argued and rolled around over the ground.

The only coherent sentence I caught was, "Urameshi, you punk! How could you be so rough on her like that? Why I aughtta!"

With a leap, I hopped up on to the side of the porch and sat down on the floor. My shirt was torn to shreds and burnt where I was shot by Yusuke's gun. My skin, like his, was burnt and bleeding. I had plenty of scrapes, bruises, and cuts too. Not to mention a few broken ribs at the least.

"Oh, Devin!" Yukina immediately came to my side and fussed over me. I took her hand and smiled at her a little.

"I'll be fine, Yukina. Please don't worry about me." I tried to console her.

She would have none of it, and immediately moved my arm aside and healed my ribs. Her energy seeped into my skin and the cold made my chest numb. Next I felt the bones moving back into place and the breaks being mended back together. Over my left side is where her hand went next, just under my collar bone. The skin regrew, the charred black flaked away and new skin wove into the edges of the still healthy old flesh. The places where her hands were, blotches of red appeared and I felt cold, but good as new none the less.

I thanked her and she accepted it. Standing, I no longer wobbled, but I did notice Hiei eying me. He looked away and I left to go eat the probably cold food that was breakfast. Then it was time to throw this shirt out.

* * *

><p>After the morning rush of things, I was in the clearing with Kira. Hiei had yet to show up, and I kept the pups bottle out of the sun above my head. It was covered in a zip-lock bag to keep away ants. I laid on my side in one of the patches of plush grass. Kira wiggled toward me on his blanket and I smiled at the infant.<p>

"Kira," I clicked my tongue at the small dog, "come here Kira."

The puppy whined and rolled toward me. My smile grew and I cuddled him into my side. He lapped at my fingers and I watched him with half-lidded eyes.

"Coddling the mutt now?" Translated from Hiei-speak: "Did you really bring the dog with you?"

I looked up to see Hiei staring over me, "No, just talking to him." Translated from Devin-speak: "Yeah, what was I going to do, leave him?"

"Why did you hug the detective?" His tone was curious.

With a deadpan look, I replied, "He asked me to be his girlfriend."

Hiei stared back at me blankly and I sighed before rolling back on my side. "He just looked like he needed a hug," I mumbled.

"People don't _need _hugs."

"Seems like you do, jerk."

"Onna," he growled in warning.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved my hand at him, the one attached to the arm I was using as a pillow.

We laid around in silence for awhile. Or at least he did. I continued to talk to and play with my pet. When he grew fussy, I reached over for the plastic bag with his bottle. It was still cool from coming from the fridge and I shook it, my hand gripping it for a few minutes until it warmed. When I tapped Kira's muzzle with the rubber tip, he whined and quickly latched on, slurping sounds ensued. Again, I caught myself smiling at him, though it was small.

"Why was Yusuke holding back earlier?" I ventured.

Cloth shuffled, "Because if he even used a tenth more of his power, he could have easily killed you."

"So he wasn't even at half strength?"

"No."

Sighing, I curled my legs closer to my body. My shoes and socks laid somewhere off to the side of the circle near a tree. I had trained hard with Genkai, and I was strong. _Strong enough to kill a fly, that is. _Irritatedly, I kept my eyes on my puppy.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does if Hisato decides he wants to come look for me."

"He wont get you," Hiei growled, I figured he was annoyed with my talking.

"What, are you gonna protect me then?"

"Hn."

_ Man of a thousand words, indeed. _I sighed before shaking it off and going back to focusing on Kira. The garnet eyed demon was too cryptic to understand sometimes.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer &amp; Author Note:<strong>

_Uh oh, what's going on with Hiei?_

_We'll find out soon, I think._

_I loved the little scene between Yusuke and Devin. We finally figure out what's happened with the brunette, and it's just adding to all the drama. And dang, Devin can be just as foul mouthed as he is. Looks like he's got some competition in the bad attitude category. _

_I'd like to thank: O T A K U T A K U, jennyz, Erika Hearken, CoCoa-Hime_

_Also, thanks to all of my subscribers. _

_See you, Space Cowboy.  
><em>


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